Crown plans to seek dangerous offender status for man charged in home invasions involving elderly women

A man accused of two violent home invasions in Halifax involving three elderly women is facing the prospect of a lengthy stay behind bars if convicted.

Paul Alexander Sponagle is facing several charges, including assault with a weapon causing bodily harm, robbery, breaking and entering, and uttering death threats.

He appeared by video link in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Thursday morning.

The charges relate to two home invasions that happened just before Christmas 2016.

Jeanette MacDonald, 85 at the time, said a man forced his way into her west-end Halifax home on Dec. 20, 2016. She said he punched her in the face and demanded money. He fled when neighbours answered her calls for help.

The next day, police responded to a report of a break-in at a seniors' complex not far from MacDonald's home. Two women, both 86, were home at the time. They told police a masked man came into the bedroom and demanded money.

Police obtained surveillance video from the seniors' complex and arrested Sponagle a short time later.

Sponagle's court appearance Thursday was to confirm details for his trial, set to run for eight days in May. He is also to be sentenced on separate, unrelated charges.

But in discussing dates for sentencing, Crown prosecutor Sean McCarroll indicated that if Sponagle is convicted for the home invasions, the Crown will be seeking to have him sentenced as a dangerous offender.

That means he would be locked up indefinitely.

Sponagle has a lengthy criminal history and had been released from prison just six months before his arrest.