A Whitehorse man who has languished in jail for nearly 2 1/2 years since his arrest and later conviction for the attempted murder of two peace officers in 2011 is suing the territorial government.

Christopher Cornell, 32, filed a lawsuit in Yukon Supreme Court last Friday.

The suit claims inhumane conditions in solitary confinement, "prejudice(d) treatment” and a cover-up of "misconduct” by the Department of Justice as well as the Yukon government and the Whitehorse Correctional Centre.

Cornell is demanding damages and a higher "day ratio,” or credit, for time served in segregation when that time is subtracted from his sentence — likely to be handed down later this year.

He also called for an investigation by an outside body into the prison complaints processes and inmate treatment.

"My segregation time was unlawful and did not follow natural justice,” Cornell wrote in his statement of claim.

He spoke of "human rights and constitutional violations” throughout his time at the WCC.

"The treatment I endured has affected me physically, mentally, spiritually, legally, sexually and psychologically, with deliberate intention of harm by the Yukon Department of Justice,” Cornell stated.

He also went so far as to accuse the department of hiding "evidence ... that would show my innocence by erasing all DVR footage and/or audio.”

The lawsuit implicates the territorial corrections branch and the investigations and standards office, allegedly "involved in this cover-up of my treatment.”

Cornell's lawyer was not available for comment by press time this afternoon.

Department of Justice spokesperson Megan Foreman said late this morning the government will file a statement of defence within 14 days.

There will be no comment before that time.

Cornell has spent some of the past 29 months in the WCC segregation unit, where "problematic” inmates are held for stretches of time and allowed out of their cell only one hour per day.

Last October, a jury found that Cornell and then-girlfriend Jessica Johnson, 23, both had a role in a Haines Junction robbery and high-speed chase that climaxed in the shooting of an RCMP officer along the Alaska Highway on Sept. 26, 2011.

In addition to being found guilty of attempted murder and using violence and bear spray to rob Madley's General Store, Cornell was convicted of shooting at the vehicle carrying RCMP Cpl. Kim MacKellar and conservation officer Shane Oakley, among other offences.

The date for Cornell's sentencing on those charges remains unknown.

Early on Sept. 26, 2011, Cornell and Johnson broke into the general store.

Store custodian Frank Parent tried to restrain them and was punched in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him to the floor. He was then doused in bear spray.

The duo removed the store's safe with a pallet jack and tried to load it into a stolen vehicle.

They abandoned the effort when MacKellar and Oakley arrived on the scene in a fully-marked police truck.

A chase ensued, with the two offenders speeding north along the Alaska Highway toward Destruction Bay in the stolen SUV, both vehicles hitting 130 km/h at one point.

The pursuit ended 32 kilometres later when a bullet fired from a stolen .375 H&H rifle smashed through MacKellar's windshield.

MacKellar was hit in the eyes and chest with bullet fragments, which ripped through his police uniform and pounded his bullet-proof vest.

He required several eye surgeries, and there are still fragments in his left eye.

The Yukon Supreme Court sentenced Johnson last month to more than three years in a federal penitentiary for her role in the incident.

She received 39 1/2 months on three counts — to which she had pleaded guilty — including robbery, wounding a police officer and firing a rifle at peace officers while fleeing arrest.

She will become eligible for parole about 13 months from her sentencing date, Dec. 12, 2013.

Cornell had more time added to his name last January after being convicted on unrelated charges

He received a 14-month sentence for four offences: possession of a stolen truck and stolen boat, evading police in a high-speed getaway and "mischief” for damage to the boat.

The charges arose from an incident in September 2011 which saw Cornell careen down the Alaska Highway to avoid arrest, which he did until a second police chase two weeks later.

Justice Sheila Martin cited as mitigating factors in Cornell's sentence his post-incarceration behaviour following a previous offence as well as his First Nations status.

His dad was a residential school survivor, said defence lawyer David Tarnow, who was representing his client pro bono.

"Currently, his dad is on the streets of Whitehorse. He was never there for Mr. Cornell.”

More recently, two of Cornell's sisters died within a month of each other.

He has a daughter who currently lives with her mother.

Cornell suffers from symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), the judge acknowledged.

Martin cited as aggravating factors Cornell's "lengthy criminal record” and history of dangerous driving dating back to 2003.