Investigators collect evidence after the brutal stabbing attack of a homeless woman on the seawall beneath the Indigenous canoe monument on Front St. on March 27, 2019. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

judgment made

Teen sentenced for shocking stabbing of vulnerable Nanaimo woman

Jun 3, 2021 | 5:37 AM

NANAIMO — A horrific stabbing which left a defenceless woman with significant physical and mental wounds resulted in a young offender receiving two years of intensive supervision.

The recent provincial court judgment against the now 19-year-old man, who can’t be named due to a publication ban, followed an emotional May 26 sentencing hearing examining the chilling unprovoked attack on March 27, 2019.

The troubled teen, suffering from what experts concluded was a psychotic episode, stabbed a 32-year-old Indigenous woman sleeping under a blanket on a bench along Nanaimo’s seawall.

She was stabbed upwards of 20 times, causing extensive and life-threatening injuries which includes slashes across her body and two punctured lungs.

The two weren’t known to each other.

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A man in the area of the late night attack convinced the boy to drop his knife, while several other Good Samaritans held the offender down in order for police to take him into custody.

Judge Karen Whonnock said if the incident had occurred in a more isolated area the victim may have died.

The victim has several physical and emotional scars from the attack, including PTSD, constant nightmares and chronic pain, particularly in her back.

She elected not to attend the afternoon portion of the sentencing hearing after finding the morning session too traumatic.

Court was told the Indigenous offender, who has several cognitive disabilities, has not shown remorse for his actions but acknowledged what he did was wrong.

He attacked the woman during a visit to Nanaimo from the Fraser Valley-area to visit his foster grandparents three months after the death of his mother from an overdose.

Forensic evaluations concluded pre-offence marijuana use contributed to the offender’s psychotic state but he didn’t act on any delusions, making him not criminally responsible.

The original charge of attempted murder was downgraded after facts about his congitive deficits and psychotic symptoms during the attack came to light.

He pleaded guilty on January 28, 2020.

The offender spent nearly six months in a monitored, structured living environment while on bail, having served 600 days in custody.

Court was told he responded well to medication, behaved under the court’s watch and intends to remain sober for as long as he’s obligated to do so.

Due to the “unique circumstances of the case,” Judge Whonnock said the 600 days the offender spent in pre-trial custody won’t be credited as time served.

The maximum penalty for aggravated assault under the Youth Justice Act is two years in jail.

If credit had been given, his sentence would be considered complete.

He’s expected to reside in a residential treatment facility for youth in B.C.’s interior for the next several months before alternative supportive housing arrangements are made to complete his intensive supervision order.

His numerous court-ordered conditions for the next two years include not contacting the victim, not possessing weapons or using illicit drugs and completing forensic therapy programs.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes