Kelowna man who hit a 15-year-old gets a conditional discharge for the Penticton assault

PENTICTON – A Kelowna man will not serve jail time for “lashing out” at his Penticton friends' son.

Peter Hrynewich, 58, entered a guilty plea to a single charge of assault in Penticton court this morning, April 10, for the late evening Oct. 29, 2016 incident in which Hrynewich hit the 15-year-old several times during a heated argument the boy was having with his parents.

Crown Prosecutor Ann Lerchs told court the boy suffered a small cut to his head.

The boy’s father told police his son had been lashing out at he and his wife, calling them nasty names when Hrynewich struck him in the head. The father admitted the boy’s behaviour was tiresome but said Hrynewich's response was inappropriate.

Lerchs asked Judge Gale Sinclair for a conditional discharge and 12 months’ probation for Hrynewich, who has no prior criminal record.

Defence lawyer Cory Armour said his client is a freelance accountant who had known the family for many years, and considered them to be amongst his closest friends.

He said his client’s actions were motivated more from issues he had with the 15 -year-old’s behaviour, than from the drinking that was also taking place that evening.

Armour said his client was disturbed by the 15-year-old’s behaviour because he had witnessed similar behaviour from his brother, who had once pulled an knife on his father.

It was Hrynewich who wrestled the weapon away. When he saw the 15-year-old acting out, he simply lashed out.

Armour handed letters to the judge attesting Hrynewich to be a man of good character.

“I deeply regret my actions. I know they were clearly inappropriate,” Hrynewich told the judge.

“When I was 15, ‘way back in 1962, if I was dissing my parents, I’d have gotten clipped upside the head. Different time now, different time, right?” Judge Sinclair said.

Hyrnewich will serve a conditional discharge subject to a 12 month probation order. He is not to go near the 15-year-old.

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