A B.C. man found guilty of trying to intimidate the victim of a violent crime into recanting has been sentenced to 15 months in jail, according to a recent court decision.
Troy Alvin Mruk was convicted of one count of intimidating a justice system participant after a 2024 trial, and the sentence was handed down Monday in provincial court in Kelowna.
“The offence strikes at the very core of our justice system,” Judge Andrew Tam wrote.
The court heard that a woman who reported that her drug dealer broke into her home and assaulted her received a text message from Mruk – a friend of the drug dealer’s – as the case was proceeding through the system.
“Keep your word (and) show up for court (thumbs-up emoji),” the message, which was reproduced in the decision, said.
“Know and we know now the law needs you to tell them YOU lied!!!! It is all for the best for everyone involved Especially YOU!!”
The victim did not recognize the number and replied, asking the person who sent it to call her.
“Mr. Mruk did just that and had a conversation with (her) during which he reiterated that it was in everyone’s best interest that (she) told the court she lied. He also added that he knew where (she) lived,” according to the judgment.
Tam outlined a number of aggravating factors in the case, including the impact on the victim.
“To receive the threat as she did was terrifying. Following the incident, she tried to stay home as much as she could. She changed her routine so she would not be easily found. She also changed her hairstyle and clothing to avoid being recognized,” the decision said.
The fact that Mruk borrowed a phone to send the threatening text was also noted by the judge, who said it showed the offence was “calculated.”
Mruk also had a criminal record, with two previous convictions for uttering threats and two previous convictions for offences the Criminal Code classifies as crimes of dishonesty.
“He has previously threatened victims with violence, and he has shown little to no respect for not only our laws, but the administration of justice as a whole,” the judge said.
Tam also pointed out that Mruk lied to the court about his mother having a heart attack, resulting in an adjournment of his sentencing hearing.
“This shows, again, the little respect Mr. Mruk has for the administration of justice,” the judge said.
In sentencing Mruk to 15 months incarceration and two years probation, Tam stressed the need to send a strong message in cases like these
“The victim of this crime is not just the person receiving the threat; it is also the justice system as a whole, which is a fundamental aspect of a free and democratic society,” he wrote.
“An appropriate sentence must not only protect individual justice participants, but also the administration of justice at a systemic level.”
The judgment does not indicate whether the drug dealer – whose full name is not included – was ultimately convicted of the break-and-enter and assault.
