Warning: This story contains details readers may find disturbing.
A man who beat his adversary’s mother with a baseball bat during a violent home invasion in northern B.C. was given a provincial sentence of two years less a day, as the judge found he had turned his life around dramatically since committing the crimes.
Craig Brentton Durando pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, assault with a weapon and robbery following the September 2023 incident in Terrace. His sentenced was handed down in B.C. Supreme Court earlier this 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 of that year, and continued the argument over TikTok and Snapchat.
In the early hours of the morning on Sept. 5, the group travelled to Balatti’s home after one of the men sent him a message reading “see you tonight” with a kiss emoji.
The court heard Durando was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol at the time. The then-22-year-old Durando kicked down the door and began searching for Balatti.
Durando found Kelly Balatti, Nicolas’ mother, in bed. According to the agreed statement of facts, he ordered her to take off her jewelry and get on the floor, after which he struck her with a baseball bat a number of times and demanded to know where Nicolas was.
“She tried to turn around to answer Mr. Durando’s demands, but he kicked her several times in the mouth. The force was hard enough that her head hit the wall behind her,” the sentencing decision reads. “Mr. Durando then struck the walls of the room and the television with the bat.”
Two of Balatti’s other children were in the home at the time. During the attack, her teenage son hid in a closet and called 911. When police arrived, Durando fled out the back door.
According to Ballatti’s victim impact statement, she no longer felt safe in her home after the assault and was afraid to close her eyes at night.
“When she does close her eyes, she sees everything happening again. 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,” Justice Jennifer Duncan wrote in her decision.
Her teenage son also told the court his grades have suffered since the incident and he had to go on medication to treat mental health issues.
Crown counsel sought a sentence of 4.5 years in prison and defence argued for a conditional sentence order, though Duncan noted that sentences for home invasions typically range from six to 10 years.
“Mr. Durando’s current circumstances present a difficult dilemma. The significant aggravating factor in this case is the commission of a heinous crime of violence against Ms. Balatti in her own home, which has left her with ongoing physical and emotional scars and has affected her children,” the judge wrote.
“But Mr. Durando is not now the person he was when he viciously and irrationally attacked Ms. Balatti. In mitigation, he has done everything society could expect of someone in his position.”
The decision says Durando overcame his drug addiction, got a good job, reconnected with family and friends, expressed sincere remorse for his actions, and took full responsibility by pleading guilty.
Duncan said his crimes were consistent with offenders who received long sentences, but ruled that Durando’s “substantial efforts at rehabilitation must be recognized” and that his sentence should not discourage him from continuing to live a sober and productive life.
After deducting 9.5 months in credit for the 190 days Durando spent in pre-trial custody, the judge sentenced him to two years less a day in a provincial correctional facility, followed by three years of probation.
During probation, Durando will not be allowed to have any contact with the Balatti family or be in the City of Terrace. He also received a 10-year firearms ban and must pay a $200 victim fine surcharge.
