No appeal for man convicted of assaulting woman, biting her labia
PENTICTON – Brian Douglas Louie will remain behind bars for the completion of a 2.8 year sentence after losing his appeal on Jan. 20.
Louie was convicted of aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm for a violent attack on a woman in 2012, during which he bit off a piece of her labia during sex. He then beat her and dragged her down a flight of stairs.
Louie’s appeal hinged on a perceived conflict of interest between defence counsel and a witness.
During Louie's trial, it became apparent defence counsel had represented the witness in the past. The relationship was fully disclosed during the trial, however, and the ruling on appeal was that the trial lawyer’s prior relationship with the witness did not result in a conflict of interest and no impact on the trial.
Louie was originally sentenced in January 2014.
This was Louie's second attempt to declare a mistrial. A previous appeal was denied in Penticton court on Oct. 10, 2013.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
