A concerned mother told a Yellowknife courtroom that her son, convicted of aggravated assault, changed SA国际影视传媒減retty much overnightSA国际影视传媒� six weeks ahead of his 18th birthday.
The teenager was SA国际影视传媒渁 kind, thoughtful boy,SA国际影视传媒� involved in volunteer work, hand games and always considerate to his younger brother and cousins. After one trip to Hay River for a hand games tournament at the end of August 2019, his mother testified that something was different about him and she SA国际影视传媒渘o longer saw Shawn behind his eyes.SA国际影视传媒�
On Nov. 7, 2020, the teen was staying with his aunt and uncle and their three young children in Behchoko.
When his uncle got up one evening to get a glass of water, the young man, unprovoked, stabbed him repeatedly in the back with a 10-inch kitchen knife.
As the victim bled, the assailant told him, SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 sorry bro. I love you. DonSA国际影视传媒檛 die.SA国际影视传媒�
Crown prosecutor Billi Wun said the assault was neither a consensual fight nor a case of self-defense gone too far.
SA国际影视传媒淗e attacked him,SA国际影视传媒� Wun said, SA国际影视传媒渁nd his moral culpability is high.SA国际影视传媒�
Considering the numerous stab wounds to the victimSA国际影视传媒檚 torso and the back of his neck, Wun said it was fortunate that he made a full recovery.
The Crown prosecutor suggested a sentence of two years followed by one year of probation for the attack.
Wun found it aggravating that the offender was not able to provide a rationale for his actions in a pre-sentence report (PSR). At the time of the offence, the teen was under the influence of alcohol and shatter, a cannabis concentrate. When he loses control, Wun told the court that the offender could present a concern to public safety.
Defence lawyer Peter Harte suggested that the teenager be released from the North Slave Correctional Centre (NSCC) and instead serve a lengthy probationary period with strict conditions and psychological and psychiatric help.
Around the time his mother noticed the changes in her son, whoSA国际影视传媒檚 now 19, he would complain of hearing sounds of things moving around the house, or someone talking to him from his closet. In a letter submitted by a former teacher, the offender is described as becoming obsessed with security cameras around the school and sometimes hitting the walls and wandering off the property.
Though the guilty party was in counselling for a brief time, once he turned 18 he began to refuse help.
SA国际影视传媒淥ften people with psychiatric disabilities end up in jail because there are no alternatives,SA国际影视传媒� Harte said. SA国际影视传媒淗ere, there is an opportunity to take advantage of a very supportive environment, SA国际影视传媒� and not allow the young man to SA国际影视传媒渇all through the cracks.SA国际影视传媒�
Harte suggested that the teen should be required to provide all documents and instructions to his biological and adoptive mothers so that they could make decisions on how to best support him. He would have to adhere to a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew and refrain from alcohol or marijuana consumption.
Addressing WunSA国际影视传媒檚 assertion that the offender would pose a threat to public safety, Harte said that keeping him behind bars is only a temporary solution. He suggested a more rehabilitative approach, saying that SA国际影视传媒渋f heSA国际影视传媒檚 released from custody without dealing with his issues, none of that will teach him what he needs to know.SA国际影视传媒�
Judge Donovan Molloy told Harte that his suggestion of time served would be SA国际影视传媒渁 very low sentence.SA国际影视传媒�
Harte said itSA国际影视传媒檚 justified by the SA国际影视传媒渦nusual factorsSA国际影视传媒� of SA国际影视传媒渁 good kid who suddenly, as a result of psychiatric problems, finds himself in conflict with the law.SA国际影视传媒�
Molloy put over his decision to Aug. 31.
In the meantime, the offender has been released on a release order requiring him to remain in his Behchoko residence at all time times, with exceptions only for counselling and meeting with his bail supervisor.
