A man who stabbed a woman outside a Mackenzie sports bar will face sentencing after an attempt to set aside his guilty plea was rejected this week by a B.C. Supreme Court Justice.
Joshua James Currie, 34, had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for the Dec. 15, 2012 incident that left the victim with two long, severe and life-threatening wounds that led to the loss of a portion of her gastrointestinal tract.
The woman Currie stabbed was fighting with his wife in the bar's parking lot. He admitted to retrieving a multitool out of his vehicle and a video recording showed Currie extending the tool's knife and stabbing the woman.
Currie had pleaded guilty to the charge after his lawyer advised him that he would receive a lighter sentence in exchange.
Crown prosecution also made it clear a guilty plea for anything less than aggravated assault would not be accepted and if Currie opted to take the case to trial and was found guilty of the charge, Crown would be seeking a sentence in the range of four years.
By pleading guilty, Crown was willing to lower the sentence it was seeking to two years less a day followed by three years probation.
Currie's lawyer, meanwhile, told him the most favourable outcome would be probation with a suspended sentence but also said convincing the court that was the a suitable sentence would be difficult.
Currie applied to back out of his decision, which led to three days of testimony in late June and early September.
At that time, Currie testified he never intended to hurt anyone with the weapon, only to ward off his wife's attackers and was under the impression he would not have to go to jail but rather serve his term at home with his family.
But in a decision issued Thursday, Justice Robert Jenkins found Currie was apprised of the sentencing options that came with his guilty plea, and knew that pleading guilty to aggravated assault meant admitting to an intent to wound.
Jenkins also disputed Currie's contention his actions were defensive.
"The force exerted in the stabbing, which is admitted to by Mr. Currie, was excessive and far beyond what would have been needed to fend off the victim," Jenkins said in a reasons for judgment. "Mr. Currie did not provide evidence that he believed otherwise and admitted in his cross-examination that other means were available to him."
Sentencing will occur at a later date.
