EditorSA国际影视传媒檚 note: This story contains graphic details.

A man who killed his friend during a drunken stabbing in Arviat in February 2019 will be able to serve the remainder of his sentence in Nunavut, as he requested.

Albert Napayok pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of Manasie Thompson and also entered guilty pleas to charges of assault and breach of probation for a separate incident involving a woman.

On Oct. 8, chief justice Neil Sharkey imposed a sentence of five years and nine months for the manslaughter and two months for the assault.

Napayok had already served 963 days in custody prior to sentencing, which was credited at 48.2 months. That means the 22.8 months he has left to serve will be at the Baffin Correctional Centre, which his defence lawyer sought on his behalf.

The Crown requested a sentence four months longer, which would have forced Napayok to be imprisoned in a southern federal institution.

SA国际影视传媒淎lbertSA国际影视传媒檚 guilty plea to the manslaughter charge is a factor which should serve to decrease the severity of the penalty he receives. Mr. Napayok addressed the court, and he did so as Mr. ThompsonSA国际影视传媒檚 family members listened. He was eloquent in detailing how the offence and his subsequent incarceration has affected his life and how he needs to heal,SA国际影视传媒� Sharkey stated. SA国际影视传媒淗e also made an apology to ManasieSA国际影视传媒檚 family for the harm he has inflicted upon them. I would point out to Mr. ThompsonSA国际影视传媒檚 family that it is often difficult for a person to express sorrow in a public settingSA国际影视传媒� The Gladue writer also sees Mr. Napayok as an excellent candidate for cultural re-integration.SA国际影视传媒�

Sharkey also recited the purpose of the sentencing process.

SA国际影视传媒淲e do not punish for the sake of punishment. The common law principle of restraint says that a judge should impose jail only when necessary, and then only as much as is necessary,SA国际影视传媒� the judge stated, also noting that although NapayokSA国际影视传媒檚 act of violence was SA国际影视传媒渋nexplicable,SA国际影视传媒� he did not SA国际影视传媒渂y definitionSA国际影视传媒� intend to cause ThompsonSA国际影视传媒檚 death.

The chief judge also expressed his sympathy to ThompsonSA国际影视传媒檚 relatives.

SA国际影视传媒淭he impact that ManasieSA国际影视传媒檚 death has had on your family can only be described as colossal. You have all suffered, and continue to suffer, in so many ways. ManasieSA国际影视传媒檚 senseless killing can never be undone. I am powerless to ease your grief, only time can do that,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

The fatal encounter occurred after a night of drinking hard liquor and smoking cannabis at NapayokSA国际影视传媒檚 Arviat residence.

An argument ensued between Napayok and Thompson, 29. Napayok cut him and stabbed him with a hunting knife. The wound that killed him was in the back, piercing his lung.

Napayok dragged his body outside and covered it in snow under his porch.

After being arrested, he confessed to the killing.

He has four assault convictions on his criminal record and he was under a probation order when he took ThompsonSA国际影视传媒檚 life.

Napayok, 32, has endured a SA国际影视传媒渞ough life,SA国际影视传媒� according to the court transcript. He was two years old when his mother was murdered. His father was in and out of jail and he was raised by a series of foster parents, including one home where he was emotionally and physically abused.

SA国际影视传媒淢r. Napayok was deprived of a normal childhood. He grew up without any real sense of family, at all. Indeed, and to the contrary, violence and neglect were SA国际影视传媒榥ormalizedSA国际影视传媒� as part of his upbringing,SA国际影视传媒� the court transcript reads, noting that he became reliant on alcohol to cope and was consequently unable to control his behaviour at times. SA国际影视传媒淔rankly, considering his dire upbringing, his record is less severe than many other offenders who come before the court with similar deprivation.SA国际影视传媒�

Napayok will also be placed on probation for two years following his sentence and will be prohibited from possessing firearms for life.

Sharkey also passed judgment on how alcoholism continues to have a dire effect, particularly in the territory.

SA国际影视传媒淎lcohol abuse is tearing apart the fabric of our society. It fills our criminal and family dockets as well as our jails,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淭he homicide rate in Nunavut has, since 2000, been at least 10 times higher than the national average. Yet, some 20 years after division from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut does still not have a single residential treatment facility. The frequency of crime fueled by alcohol is matched only by the paucity of treatment options.SA国际影视传媒�

A treatment centre, through a partnership among the federal and territorial governments and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, is expected to open in Iqaluit in 2025.