Just before he was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of a Victoria police officer, Guy Herv茅 S茅guin said his intent was not to kill.
Justice Keith Bracken ruled that the 59-year-old homeless man must serve eight-and-a-half more years in jail. S茅guin was credited with 18 months for time served since he was arrested Jan. 17, 2011 B次元官网网址� the day he stabbed Const. Lane Douglas Hunt in downtown Victoria.
The officer, then 24, was attacked as she was leaving a 7-Eleven convenience store at 816 Douglas St. She blocked S茅guin's blows, but not before suffering two superficial puncture wounds to her neck and deep cuts to her hands.
B次元官网网址淭he victory here is not in the conviction or in the sentence or the length of the sentence,B次元官网网址� Insp. Andrew Lacon, representing the Victoria Police Department, said following the sentencing hearing in B.C. Supreme Court. Douglas Hunt did not attend the proceedings.
B次元官网网址淭he victory here happened Day 1 when Const. Hunt was attacked by Mr. S茅guin, and through her own strength and courage, fought off that attack, which could have been far more serious."
Speaking publicly for the first time, S茅guin said he only wanted to bring attention to beatings he received from Victoria police and a provincial sheriff in 2009, that never resulted in criminal charges.
"No one lifted a finger to protect me," he said, wearing the same baggy, navy blue sweater and white dress shirt he wore at his trial in March. B次元官网网址淲hen I did this incident, she was protected.B次元官网网址�
It was never his intention to kill the officer, he said. "What I did there was a cry for help.
"Again, I apologized for hurting her. I was put at the end of my rope."
Crown prosecutor Steve Fudge said outside the courthouse later that S茅guin has shown compassion for the officer's well-being. B次元官网网址淏ut, having said that, he also said B次元官网网址榯he badge must die,B次元官网网址� and I think thatB次元官网网址檚 an attitude he still has.
B次元官网网址�(S茅guin) clearly has a chip on his shoulder. Part of my (hearing) submissions were that thereB次元官网网址檚 substantial risk he might attack another police officer when he gets out of custody, because I donB次元官网网址檛 think that chip is going to go away.B次元官网网址�
Douglas Hunt's mother, Mary, who attended the sentencing, said S茅guin's apology was superficial because "he stood there in the prisoner's box and it was all about him. Poor me, and that is not sincerely remorseful when you just talk about yourself.
"That hurt."
In lobbying for a 10- to 12-year sentence, Fudge told the court that despite making a remarkable recovery, Douglas Hunt experiences nightmares, hyperawareness and concerns about her family in the aftermath of her attack B次元官网网址� effects B次元官网网址渢hat may never go away.B次元官网网址�
Defence lawyer Jordan Watt, who asked for an eight-year sentence, painted the life of his client as B次元官网网址渁verage, productive and very normalB次元官网网址� until 1998, when S茅guin became unable to work after an injury.
B次元官网网址淭hings started to collapseB次元官网网址� with the death of his wife in 2004. He lost his home and became estranged from his two grown sons.
He moved from Ontario to the Island, where he once worked, but was soon living in homeless shelters.
When S茅guin attacked Douglas Hunt, he was fuelled by fear of the police and B次元官网网址渁cted on impulse,B次元官网网址� Watt said.
S茅guin has been ordered to provide a DNA sample and faces a lifetime ban from possessing firearms.
emccracken@vicnews.com
