Man convicted of attacking parents with a shovel

On Mar 7, 2008 in the early hours of the morning, Gaylord Avery Perry started demanding why his mother was up so late the previous night.

‘You were up there yapping’, Crown Attorney Jim Fife read from the victim statement at the provincial court trial last Thursday about Gaylord accusing his mother.

He was angry with his parents and already had slashed the tires on one of their vehicles parked outside.

Charlene Perry said in the statement that she knew trouble was brewing and called for her husband, Terrance to wake up.

‘Things went crazy from there,’ she stated.

Gaylord threw a teakettle and grabbed his mother, pushing her up against the wall.

She knew she had to get out of her house and so she ran out the door with only thin stockings on her feet.

Gaylord and his father were not far behind as Gaylord punched his 70-year old father and they both tumbled out onto the porch.

Charlene picked up a shovel and struck her son in an attempt to ward him off her husband but Gaylord grabbed the shovel and smashed Terrance on the head with it.

Both parents ran to their vehicle and locked the door as Gaylord repeatedly hit the car with the shovel causing dents and cracking the windshield glass as they drove away.

Terrance was able to get away with minor injuries mainly consisting of bruises and scrapes but both were quite shaken and scared from the incident.

Gaylord has been in custody since the attack took place.

He pled guilty to two counts of common assault, assault with a weapon, two counts of damage to property and two counts for breach of probation.

His parents did not think that jail time would help their son as he has spent his share of time incarcerated for various crimes in the past but hoped he would get the psychological help they felt he needed, at the same time they wanted to be protected from possible future abuse.

‘This is not normal behaviour to hurt your family,’ they stated in a report.

Gaylord was sentenced to five additional months to those already served in jail as well as a string of other conditions including a two year probation with strict terms on keeping the peace and good behaviour, to have no contact directly or indirectly with his parents and he will be required to attend a mental health assessment.”

“One thing is clear,” said the Honorable Judge James Burrill to the court, “the parents have a right to live their lives free of the abuse and bullying that their son gave. (The beating) is a horrible sight to contemplate and fortunately neither parent was seriously injured.”