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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Nightmare life led to attack, court told
Her childhood was the stuff of nightmares -- 18 different foster placements, hooked on alcohol by age nine, repeatedly physically and sexually abused by several men.
Her adult life has been predictably tragic, including repeated stays in the city's drunk tank and several crimes that have seen her in and out of jail.
Now a judge is wrestling with what to do to Lana Antoine, 49, for her most violent crime yet -- stabbing a man 16 times and nearly killing him.
Antoine's lawyer says 15 months of pretrial custody is sufficient punishment for the aggravated assault, given her circumstances and tragic, aboriginal background. The Crown is seeking another 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 is to deliver his decision on July 20.
"It's clear she has lived in her lifetime more tragic moments than an individual should live in several lifetimes," said Chartier. In five years judging circuit court at various Manitoba First Nations, "I've seen too many situations similar to this," he said.
"What shot did she have? She never really had a chance," said defence lawyer Jody Ostapiw.
Antoine was drinking with 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 said was a feeble attempt to set her on fire.
Antoine, uninjured, grabbed a large knife and attacked, stabbing the man repeatedly in the face and upper body. He lost a massive amount of blood and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.
"It was a terrible assault," Crown attorney Brian Sharpe told court Friday. "It was fortunate that he did survive."
He detailed her past, including numerous violent crimes and breaches of court orders, almost all linked to alcohol.
"It's a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation. She's a good person when she's sober, but she drinks and, boom, bad things happen," Sharpe said.
Ostapiw said her client is determined to get her life back on track. She plans to enter a long-term transitional facility and hopes to deal with ongoing issues including alcoholism, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, Ostapiw said.
"She's very serious this time about staying out of custody," Ostapiw said.
twitter.com/mikeoncrime
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 14, 2012 A12
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