The former president of the Rotary Club in Merritt pleaded guilty to aggravated assault at the Penticton Courthouse Tuesday for a vicious attack against his ex-wife that took place on March 20, 2024 in Keremeos.
Brian Gene Reum, 68, was originally charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault in relation to this incident.
Justice Shannon Keyes asked Reum numerous questions to ensure he was making the decision to plead guilty of his own free will and that he admitted to being the perpetrator of an aggravated assault, which he did.
Sitting behind his lawyer Jas Mangat from a room in the Lower Mainland, Reum acknowledge he was giving up his right to a trial in this matter and that he understood that Keyes was not bound to agree to sentencing submissions provided by his lawyer or Crown attorney Kevin Short, who also spoke via videoconference from his sa国际传媒 office.
Short told the court that the attempted murder charge against Reum would be stayed now that he has pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault.
While no evidence was presented in Tuesdaysa国际传媒 brief court hearing, Reumsa国际传媒 ex-wife has filed a civil case against him, which was accessed by the Herald.
The civil lawsuit, filed last July, claims Reum and the woman allegedly got into a heated argument and he attacked her from behind and attempted to cut her throat with a serrated hunting knife.
鈥淗e then attempted to stab himself,鈥 said the court document.
Reum filed a response to the civil claim in October of 2024, only weeks after his arrest rejecting allegations in the statement of claim, further stating those allegations would be prejudicial to the criminal charges he was facing.
鈥淎fter the prosecution has concluded further factual particulars regarding the conduct and actions of the defendant will be provided by the defendant in an amended response to a civil claim,鈥 reads Reumsa国际传媒 response.
The ex-wife also claims that Reum attempted to smother her with a pillow less than three weeks after they were married and before the knife incident.
Reum was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault in September, before being released on bail.
The civil lawsuit claims the woman lived in Keremeos and she and Reum started living together in March of 2023, before getting married in February of 2024.
The knife attack occurred only weeks after they got married, said the court document.
The woman filed for divorce soon after the alleged attack.
Reum was once the president-elect of the Merritt Rotary Club.
A search of court records indicates Reum does not have any previous criminal convictions in British Columbia.
Mangat asked Keyes to order that a pre-sentence report be prepared 鈥渨ith a psychological component鈥 be completed before his client returns to court.
It should take approximately 10 weeks for that report to be completed, he said.
Reum was scheduled to appear at the Penticton Courthouse on Feb. 26 to make a decision about proceeding to trial before a judge and jury or judge alone.
Instead, his lawyer rescheduled a court appearance Tuesday and the guilty plea to aggravated assault took place.
Reum no longer lives in Keremeos but instead resides in the Lower Mainland.
Reum and his lawyer and Short will make their next appearance at the Penticton courthouse on May 13, where itsa国际传媒 expected a date for sentencing will be set.
