Kingston man who violently assaulted ex-partner found guilty on 9 counts

A Kingston, Ont., man has been found guilty of nine charges including assault causing bodily harm, assault with a weapon and uttering death threats in connection with incidents involving his former partner.

Paul John MacDonald appeared in Kingston's Ontario Court of Justice Wednesday afternoon.

The 47-year-old was wearing a white T-shirt and had a pair of glasses perched on top of his head, which was shaved bald.

The majority of his charges were connected to a Sept. 4, 2021 altercation involving his former partner, Sabrina L'Heureux.

Court had previously heard L'Heureux testify that MacDonald hit her repeatedly that day and left her with cuts to her arm and calf. She sprayed him with pepper spray and eventually managed to escape.

L'Heureux previously told CBC the incident left her scarred and that, before his arrest in 2022, she'd spent a year fearing for her safety and that of her child.

MacDonald was found guilty of assault, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, possession of a knife for a dangerous purpose, uttering a death threat and stealing L'Heureux's cellphone in connection with the incident.

He was also convicted of threatening to use a weapon during an assault and uttering a death threat in connection with another incident in March 2020.

The final count MacDonald was found guilty of was for harassing L'Heureux between the two incidents, causing her to fear for her personal safety then as well.

Testimony 'stretches credulity'

Court was told Wednesday that the evidence of the harassment included a series expletive-laden texts, including messages where he threatened to have someone crack her head open or cut her head off.

Justice Larry O'Brien said MacDonald's lawyer told the court he and a friend had won $1 million from the lottery in 2020 and an argument over money may have led to one of the clashes — a suggestion L'Heureux denied.

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The judge said while he found her testimony reliable, MacDonald was "economical with the truth" and his version of events "stretches credulity."

O'Brien specifically described McDonald's statement that a knife involved in the September incident fell from his pocket and ended up in L'Heureux's hand as "fanciful," adding he believed the Crown had disproved self-defence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Lawyers in the case are set to meet on March 27 to set a date for sentencing.