A distinct neck tattoo and a business man who snapped photos of his two assailants connected Joshua Roess to an October knife attack.
There "sure are not many people walking around" the Sault with a "girls lie" tattoo around their neck, prosecutor Robert Skeggs told a judge Wednesday.
Roess, 31, pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon stemming from an Oct. 22, 2024 incident that occurred on Wellington Street East.
Ontario Court Justice Richard Schneider heard the victim called 911 about two men on the stoop outside his business.
They were yelling, said they were going to come back, and smash the windows, the assistant Crown attorney said.
The complainant followed them and took photos. One of the men, who had a knife, ran toward him, a fight ensued, Skeggs said, and the victim believed he was stabbed.
Both men had neck tattoos, he told Schneider.
The complainant later went to the police station and showed officers photos of the accused he had found on Facebook.
Roess has a criminal record, starting in June 2012 that continues until June of last year, with "a staggering number of convictions," Skeggs said.
The Crown and defence jointly recommended 12 months jail, less credit for the time Roess has spent in pre-sentence custody.
Skeggs called what occurred an "unprovoked attack" and "a very serious offence."
The pair attacked the victim, one pulled a knife and he felt he was being stabbed. Defence lawyer Jasmine Gassi Harnden said the victim wasn't hospitalized, and had no wounds but there was evidence of small cuts.
"I'm not making light" of my client's behaviour, she told Schneider. "I'm not making excuses for him, just providing clarification."
Gassi Harnden described his "quite lengthy record as an aggravating factor here."
But his guilty plea indicates remorse, she said, explaining Roess had entered his plea as soon as he could.
"Your record speaks volumes," Schneider told the man when he imposed the recommended sentence.
"This is very much at the low end for someone with your antecedents and the matters before the court."
With the enhanced credit of 192 days he received for the time he's spent in pre-sentence custody, Roess faces a further 93 days behind bars.
He will be on probation for two years with conditions that include taking any recommended assessments, counselling and rehabilitative programs.
Roess can have no contact with the victim and must not be within 100 metres of him.
The judge also prohibited him from possessing weapons for 10 years and ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the national registry.