RNC asking public to help find wanted man

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary wants the public to help them find Jason English.

They issued a release this afternoon asking the public for assistance.

The Constabulary said it has received a warrant of committal to custody from the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal for the 32-year-old.

Earlier this month, the court ruled English, who bit off a piece of another man's ear in a bar fight more than two years ago, did not spend enough time behind bars.

It said the St. John’s man must return to jail for another 111 days to finish serving his sentence.

In a unanimous decision, Justice Gale Welsh, Justice Charles White and Justice Lois Hoegg said the provincial court judge in English's trial made the right call in convicting him and in sentencing him to 243 days in prison.

However, they said she was wrong to give him so much credit for pre-trial custody.

On Nov. 10, 2010, Judge Lois Skanes found English guilty of aggravated assault and breaching a conditional sentence.

He was found not guilty of two counts of uttering threats.

The charges were laid following a fight between him and another man May 23, 2010, at Spin nightclub in downtown St. John's.

The man with the ear injury, who worked at the club as a bartender, was treated at hospital with stitches and had a skin graft to repair some of the damage. His ear is still slightly deformed, with the top part missing.

On Dec. 31, 2010, English was sentenced to eight months in jail. But because he had been in custody since his arrest May 23, 2010, he had to spend only another 20 days behind bars. He was released from jail in mid-January.

In sentencing, English received time served for the breach and did not get credit for all the time he'd spent at Her Majesty's Penitentiary towards the aggravated assault charge.

Upon rendering her decision, Skanes said the 110 days left to serve of English's conditional sentence at the time of his arrest would first come off any credit for time served.

English's total sentence was 243 days, but his total credits for time served on the assault worked out to be 223 days.

However, the Court of Appeal panel said Skanes miscalculated the credit time.

The RNC said Friday the arrest is to serve the remainder of the sentence.

English is described as having a large build. He stands 6’3” and weighs 250 lbs. His hair and eyes are brown.

The RNC Major Crime Unit is continuing the search and is seeking the assistance of the general public.

Anyone who has any information is asked to contact the RNC at 729-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

You can now provide information anonymously on the NL Crime Stoppers Website at www.nlcrimestoppers.com.