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Crown seeks more jail for troubled woman who stabbed man 16 times

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 07/13/2012 4:18 PM | Comments: 0

Her childhood was the stuff of nightmares – 18 different foster placements, hooked on alcohol by the age of nine, repeatedly physically and sexually abused by several men in her life.

And her adult life has been predictably tragic, including repeated stays in the city’s drunk tank and committing several crimes which have seen her in and out of jail.

Now a judge is wrestling what to do with Lana Antoine for her most violent act yet – stabbing a man 16 times, nearly killing him.

Antoine’s lawyer claims the 15-months of pre-trial custody she’s already done is sufficient punishment, given her unique circumstances and tragic background. The Crown is seeking an additional 21 months behind bars, saying Antoine is lucky she’s not staring at a mandatory life sentence for murder.

Provincial court Judge Michel Chartier heard arguments Friday and has adjourned his decision until July 20.

"It’s clear she has lived in her lifetime more tragic moments than an individual should live in several lifetimes," said Chartier. He said in his five years spent on the bench doing circuit court at various Manitoba First Nations, "I’ve seen too many situations similar to this."

"What shot did she have? She never really had a chance," added defence lawyer Jody Ostapiw.

Antoine, 49, was drinking with several friends one evening last year when she got into an argument with a man she used to be romantically involved with, court was told. The man threw a bottle of perfume on Antoine, which her lawyer claims was a feeble attempt to set her on fire.

Antoine wasn’t injured, but she was definitely upset. She grabbed a large knife and attacked the man, stabbing him repeatedly in the face and upper body. He lost a massive amount of blood and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.

"The offence itself was quite nasty. It was a terrible assault," Crown attorney Brian Sharpe told court Friday. "It was fortunate that he did survive."

He detailed Antoine’s terrible past, which includes numerous sentencings for crimes of violence and breaches of court order. Pretty much all of the offences can be linked to alcohol, he said.

"It’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation. She’s a good person when she’s sober, but she drinks and, boom, bad things happen," said Sharpe.

Ostapiw said her client is determined to finally get her life back on track. Instead of just being released from jail, she has lined up plans to go live in a long-term transitional facility. She hopes to deal with several serious ongoing issues including alcoholism, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"She’s very serious this time about staying out of custody," she said.

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