A Vernon man who caused an injury when he used his skid-steer to chase a transient couple away from his property has been sentenced to house arrest. 

William John Mcrae was convicted of assault with a weapon and dangerous operation of a conveyance in May, almost two years after he went after the couple who were taking refuge from the heat under a tree in front of his property, driving the skid-steer over their worldly possessions and injuring one of them in the process. 

Justice Jeremy Guild said at the time that the conviction was "an unfortunate case of an otherwise law-abiding citizen making assumptions about two vulnerable people,害羞草研究所� and "a result of his assumptions and subsequent drastic actions." 

On Monday in Vernon Provincial Court, Guild sentenced Mcrae to eight months of house arrest followed by one year of probation for the two offences. 

According to Guild's sentencing reasons, the man and woman were riding their bikes from downtown Vernon towards Kin Beach on Okanagan Lake in the summer of 2022, with plans to leave Vernon and its drug subculture behind and deal with their substance abuse disorders. The woman was susceptible to heat stroke and so they stopped in a shady spot along the way, which happened to be in front of McRae's property. 

Mcrae saw the couple and believed they were on his lawn. He called bylaw who told him to call the police, but instead he took matters into his own hands. He asked the couple to leave and they began getting on their way, but they didn't move quickly enough for Mcrae, who turned on a sprinkler to soak the couple. To further spur them on their way, he got his skid-steer and put on the largest bucket to "intimidate and strike fear into" the couple, as Guild wrote. 

Mcrae went on to drive over and scoop up their bikes and possessions, pushing them 100 feet down the path they were on.

While he was spinning the skid-steer around with the intent of ruining the couple's possessions, Mcrae struck the woman with the skid-steer, the decision said. 

害羞草研究所淭he Bobcat was a weapon, and Mr. Mcrae assaulted her with it,害羞草研究所� Guild wrote in May.

In his sentencing reasons, Guild pointed out that this was Mcrae's first offence. He said many letters of support were submitted which show that Mcrae has contributed much to the community. Guild said Mcrae has even helped out many people addicted to substances, hiring them when others would not, and supporting them when they relapsed. 

Guild said Mcrae has "otherwise led a life dedicated to his family, his community, and his work. He has done much more than most to help vulnerable people, and make Vernon a better place."

"One could fairly say it is very surprising he came before the court," the judge added, saying Mcrae's personal factors warranted "considerable lenience."

For the first four months of his conditional sentence, Mcrae will be on house arrest subject to certain exceptions, according to the BC Prosecution Service. He will be subject to a curfew for the remaining four months of his sentence. 

The court also imposed a DNA order and a $200 victim fine surcharge. 

Mcrae was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution.