Woman sorry for stabbing man 17 times

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/01/2011 (5558 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SHE was five months pregnant, drunk and desperate for her next fix. That’s when opportunity came knocking in the form of a 55-year-old stranger who offered her a ride home.

Hours later, the unsuspecting victim was clinging to life after being stabbed 17 times with a pair of scissors in a violent robbery attempt.

“I think she will forever be haunted by how cruelly she treated another human being,” the woman’s lawyer, Mike Cook, told a Winnipeg court Thursday.

Jenny Squires pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 20 months in jail, in addition to six months of time already served. The 26-year-old woman has a lengthy criminal record including other incidents of violence. She has also battled drug and alcohol addictions.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I never wanted him to die,” Squires told court.

The victim suffered extensive injuries to his throat, back and chest including a collapsed lung. He spent nearly a week in hospital and still suffers related pain. He was not in court for the sentencing hearing.

Squires met the man for the first time while at a bar one night last year. As the man was leaving, she asked if he would drive her home. While in his vehicle, the woman discussed instead going back to his River Heights residence for a drink. He agreed.

Cook suggested his client may have eventually felt intimidated by the man, believing he was going to sexually assault her. But he admits there is no excuse for her behaviour.

“If she had stabbed him once or twice, it might be consistent with self-defence. But 17 times is not. It shows she was angry and out of control,” said Cook.

www.mikeoncrime.com