A guilty verdict was handed down on Tuesday in a case of domestic violence that played out on gravel roads and highways west of Regina in 2016.
Aaron Murphy, 39, was convicted on four charges and found guilty of assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, failing to stop from police and dangerous driving. The conviction stemmed from a high-speed chase between Regina and Moose Jaw in May 2016.
Court heard that Murphy and his girlfriend were inside a truck that was parked outside of the Normanview Mall in Regina. The pair was fighting and someone driving by phoned police. Murphy fled when police arrived.
Officers testified they could see Murphy hitting his female passenger while he was driving. They also told court the truck Murphy was driving reached speeds of up to 210 kilometres an hour during the chase.
Police told court they feared for the woman’s life and tried to stop the vehicle near Belle Plaine. A police cruiser rammed into the speeding truck and forced it to slow down. The woman opened the door and jumped from the moving truck, while the vehicle kept driving on just the rim of its damaged tire.
The chase ended at a police barricade just outside of Moose Jaw. The truck was forced into a field and Murphy was arrested.
During sentencing arguments on Tuesday, court heard that this is the third time Murphy had been convicted of harming that same woman. The Crown prosecutor made a special point to remind the judge that Saskatchewan’s rate of domestic violence is more than double the national average.
The Crown is requesting Murphy be sentenced to eight years in jail. The defence is asking he be sentenced to time served and released.
The judge will announce his decision in the New Year.
With files from CTV Regina's Dale Hunter
