B.C. man who scarred woman's face with gun barrel during robbery sentenced to prison

A Glock semiautomatic pistol is pictured in an undated file photo. (Shutterstock)

A 25-year-old man who pressed a loaded handgun so hard into a woman's face that it left a permanent scar during an armed robbery attempt in Metro Vancouver has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Justin Hunt pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery, drug possession and possession of a restricted firearm for the assault outside a Port Coquitlam pub in October 2019.

He was sent to prison earlier this month by B.C. provincial court Judge Robin McQuillan, who described the violent attack in his sentencing decision published online Wednesday.

Hunt was arrested shortly after he and two accomplices reportedly approached Melissa Latorre and a male acquaintance outside the Bennett Craft & Kitchen on Lougheed Highway and demanded money.

When the victims refused to hand over their wallets, Hunt punched and kicked both of them before pulling out a loaded handgun and slamming it to Latorre's forehead.

"He pressed it with such force that she was left with a bleeding wound on her forehead that matched the size and shape of the barrel of the handgun," McQuillan wrote in his decision.

In a statement read before the sentencing, Latorre told the court the incident left her physically and emotionally scarred. She has had difficulty sleeping and is reminded of the attack whenever she looks in a mirror, she said.

"Almost five years later, the scar remains, and she is considering undergoing expensive scar removal surgery," the judge summarized. "She continues to feel traumatized by the incident."

The Glock handgun was found in a vehicle later that night after police caught up with Hunt. A second pistol was also found in the vehicle, along with ammunition, $5,000 in cash and approximately 120 grams of cocaine wrapped in small bags, according to the court.

"The Glock handgun was subsequently analysed and was found to have Ms. Latorre’s DNA on the muzzle and Mr. Hunt's DNA on the trigger and safety," the court heard. "The cocaine seized from the trunk of the vehicle was subsequently determined by an expert to have a street value of approximately $9,400."

A forensic psychologist testified that Hunt has a long history of gainful employment and positive social involvement, marred however by periods of drug abuse and violence.

The psychologist assessed Hunt as having a low to moderate risk to reoffend if he abstains from binge drinking, drug use and negative social circles, which would otherwise "substantially" increase his risk of falling back into crime.

Hunt told the court he was heavily intoxicated by alcohol and drugs on the night of the attack, saying it would not have occurred if he was sober.

"Mr. Hunt expressed remorse for his actions in committing these offences, both through the written reports and when he addressed the court at the sentencing hearing," the judge wrote.

"He said that he did not want the victim to be re-traumatized if required to testify, which was a factor in his decision to plead guilty."

In addition to the four-year sentence, the judge prohibited Hunt from possessing unrestricted firearms for 10 years and restricted firearms for life.