BC Man Sentenced to Just Under 2 Years for Beating Woman With Bat During Home Invasion

A man who beat a mother of three with a baseball bat during a home invasion in west-central British Columbia has been handed a provincial sentence of two years less a day, after a judge concluded he had turned his life around since the drug-fuelled attack.

Craig Brentton Durando, 25, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, assault with a weapon, and robbery in connection with the September 2023 incident at a Terrace, B.C. home. His sentence was delivered by the B.C. Supreme Court in a ruling last week.

The court heard that Durando and four other friends planned to confront and assault a man named Nicolas Balatti in his home after Balatti and one of the friends got into a “verbal altercation involving mutual threats” at a house party in August 2023, and continued the argument over TikTok and Snapchat.

The group made their way to Balatti’s home in the early hours of the morning of Sept. 5 after one of the men sent him a message stating “see you tonight” accompanied by a kiss emoji.

The court heard Durando, who was 22 at the time, was impaired by cocaine and alcohol when he kicked down the door of Balatti’s home to search for him.

Durando instead found Nicolas’ mother, Kelly Balatti, in bed, according to the agreed statement of facts. He told her to remove her jewelry and lie on the floor, then hit her multiple times with a baseball bat while demanding to know the whereabouts of Nicolas.

She tried to respond, but Durando kicked her several times in the mouth with enough force that her head hit the wall behind her, according to the ruling. He then proceeded to strike the walls of the room and the television with the bat.

Durando then warned Kelly Balatti not to call or tell anyone, or he would return.

“He raised the bat above his head and asked her if she wanted to know his name,” the ruling said. “She said no. He lowered the bat and said ‘good.’”

Two of Kelly Balatti’s other children were in the home at the time of the attack. Her teenage son hid in a closet and called 911 while her daughter, who was elementary school aged at the time, hid in her room.

Durando fled out the back door when the police arrived at the Balatti home.

Kelly Ballatti said in a victim impact statement that she no longer feels safe in her home and is afraid to close her eyes at night.

“When she does close her eyes, she sees everything happening again,” Justice Jennifer Duncan recounted in her ruling. “She still cries about the incident and has had to go to counselling. When the attack was happening, she was worried about her children. She suffers ongoing back pain.”

Her daughter has coped with the trauma by spending a lot of time away from home because she does not feel safe, the court heard.

The teenage son also gave the court a victim impact statement, indicating that his school attendance and academic performance have suffered since the incident. He is now finding it difficult to graduate from high school, in contrast to his previous high academic performance.

He has been admitted to hospital for mental health concerns, has been prescribed medication, and is seeing a counsellor because he is worried that another home invasion will occur.

Sentencing

The Crown attorney requested a 4.5-year prison sentence while defence advocated for a conditional sentence order.

Duncan noted in her ruling that sentences for home invasion generally fall between six and 10 years, but said Durando’s current circumstances “present a difficult dilemma.”

She said the major aggravating factor in the case is the “heinous crime of violence” against Kelly Balatti in her own home, which has resulted in lasting physical and emotional trauma for her and has impacted her children.

Durando also has previous criminal convictions, although not for the specific type of violence involved in this case, Duncan said. Without mitigating circumstances, Durando would be confronted with a sentence of five years or longer, despite his admission of guilt, she said.

“But Mr. Durando is not now the person he was when he viciously and irrationally attacked Ms. Balatti,” she wrote. “In mitigation, he has done everything society could expect of someone in his position. He has undertaken significant and successful efforts at overcoming his drug problem. He has gainful employment. He has reconnected with his family and friends. And he has acknowledged responsibility for his involvement in this offence by pleading guilty.”

The judge continued by noting that the nature of Durando’s crimes was similar to those of offenders who are often given extended sentences, but she said Durando’s “substantial efforts at rehabilitation must be recognized” and that his sentence should not hinder him from leading a sober and productive life.

The judge imposed a sentence of two years minus one day in a provincial correctional facility, after accounting for 9.5 months of credit for the 190 days Durando spent in pre-trial custody. He will be subject to three years of probation upon his release from jail.

Durando is prohibited from having any contact with the Balatti family or being in the City of Terrace throughout his probationary period. He is required to abstain from drugs or alcohol and to complete any counselling or programs recommended by his probation officer. He has also been issued a 10-year firearms ban and is obliged to pay a $200 victim fine surcharge upon release from custody.