N.B. soldier suffering from stress disorders get probation for assaulting sons

HALIFAX - A New Brunswick judge says a soldier who assaulted his two pre-teen sons is a victim as well because he's suffering from post-traumatic stress brought on by military tours overseas.
The 30-year-old soldier at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown was in provincial court Monday for sentencing on two counts of summary assault.
He previously pleaded guilty to attacking his sons, aged nine and seven, on Remembrance Day.
The father lost his temper and chased his boys around the house with a wooden spoon, striking them with it and kicking them.
At one point, the soldier locked the two boys out of the house and refused to let them back in.
The father, who can't be identified because it would identify the children, was placed on probation for 18 months.
Defence lawyer Edward Derrah said his client had seen action with the Canadian Forces in Bosnia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.
While he may have returned home physically unharmed from those tours, Derrah said, the soldier nevertheless suffered trauma.
He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder last year.
He isolated himself from his family, Derrah said, and he started drinking more frequently.
After the Nov. 11 attacks on his sons and admission to police that his behaviour was wrong, the soldier immediately sought the help he needed, the defence lawyer said.