Judge sentences father to six months for choking toddler citing colonization.

A British Columbia judge sentenced a man to merely six months in jail for throttling his toddler stepson, ruling that his Indigenous heritage and the "negative consequences of colonization" served as mitigating factors.

On April 7, Provincial Court Judge Tamera Golinsky delivered this decision after the defendant, identified only by the initials KJM, pleaded guilty to assault by choking and assault. A publication ban shielded the victim's identity, but court records revealed the severity of the acts.

The 33-year-old man choked and kicked the child twice while recovering from a cocaine binge in June 2025. During the first incident, he pinned the toddler against the carpet and applied force. Later, he entered the crying child's room, struck him in the head, and left him lying on his back without checking on him again.

The boy, dressed only in a diaper, suffered these attacks while living with his mother and stepfather. The investigation began only after the mother discovered a scratch on her son and reviewed nanny camera footage.

Despite the prosecution's recommendation for one year of jail time followed by a year of probation, Golinsky rejected the proposal. In her written decision, she repeatedly cited KJM's First Nations descent through his mother as a key consideration.

She acknowledged that while there was no proof of direct impact from residential schools, the disconnection from one's cultural heritage remains a lingering effect of colonization. She also weighed a traumatic brain injury KJM sustained at age 20, which caused lasting cognitive struggles, memory loss, and emotional volatility.

The judge noted that these injuries led KJM to self-medicate with various substances, which fueled his frustration with the toddler during the assault days. KJM, who is now sober and works as a truck driver, lives with his new girlfriend and her pre-teen son on Vancouver Island.

While Golinsky recognized the potential for long-term harm to the child, she characterized the violence as an adverse childhood experience that could have detrimental effects. The court documents also mentioned that both the mother and KJM had occasionally used corporal punishment on the child.

Judge Golinsky joined the Dawson Creek Provincial Court in 2020. She previously served as Crown Counsel in Dawson Creek. Her career also included work at several private law firms. The Daily Mail reached out to the Provincial Court of British Columbia for comment. She admitted that the full extent of the impact remains unknown. Yet, she is certain that some impact has occurred. This situation highlights how limited access to information can obscure the truth. Communities face real risks when such details remain hidden. Specific evidence suggests that professional backgrounds influence judicial appointments. Concrete examples show how past roles shape current court dynamics. The lack of transparency creates uncertainty for everyone involved.