A 23-year-old Scotchfort woman was sentenced Tuesday in provincial court in Charlottetown to serve three months in the provincial correctional centre for aggravated assault.
The sentence was imposed in the case of Danielle Jocelyn Bernard, who was charged following an incident in which she stabbed another woman with a knife.
The woman suffered a wound to the chest but survived.
Bernard pleaded not guilty to the offence but was found guilty at the conclusion of her trial.
In passing sentence, Chief Judge John Douglas said the victim in this case could have suffered very serious harm.
He said the potential for serious injury is always present when people resorted to the use of knives.
Fortunately that was not the outcome in this case, he said.
In considering the sentence to be imposed, Douglas said he also considered comments made by Bernard just moments before in which she expressed remorse for her actions and said she realized she had gone too far and that it was time to make changes in her life.
Bernard, who spoke through tears, said she'd come to the realization that she never wanted to hurt another human being. She pledged to further her education and to undergo whatever counselling was recommended for her.
Douglas said he believed Bernard was motivated to make positive changes to her life and expressed the hope she would follow through with any treatment or counselling proposed to her.
In addition to the sentence imposed Tuesday for aggravated assault, Bernard was sentenced to a further 10 days in jail, consecutive to the first sentence, for committing a second assault.
An additional five-day sentence, consecutive to all other sentences, was imposed for breaching a recognizance.
Upon completion of her jail sentence, Bernard will spend the next 18 months on probation.
While on probation she must make an effort to upgrade her education and find employment.
She is to have no contact with the victim of the assault and is to undergo assessment, counselling and treatment for any and all underlying issues that may have contributed to the commission of these offences.
Douglas also ordered Bernard to perform 20 hours of community service work.
Woman jailed three months for assault with knife
- Published on Febuary 3rd, 2010
- Published on June 15th, 2010
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Staff ~ Farm Focus
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Comments
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- TA
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:42:39
Every defense lawyer will tell his client to show remorse when they go before the judge. The only remorseful thing these people feel is that they got caught. The rest is bull. Judges know it, heck they were mostly defense lawyers before being appointed to the bench. This is all for public perception and allows judges to hand down these lenient sentences. Who is putting justice in disrepute more than our judges? May the fleas of a 1000 camels invest this judge's armpits.
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- Jim
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:39:20
Send her to prison!!!!!
What's wrong with our system here!!!!
What a joke!!!! -
- Wow! Tough sentence
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:38:32
Stab someone in the chest with the possibility of killing them and you get three months. Cry a little for the judge and that gets you off with nothing every time. That is one tough sentence judge. She is probably laughing over her beer today.
Judicial system on PEI is a total JOKE!!! -
- Me
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:37:24
You people make me SOOOO laugh!!! Do you people even READ the story before you comment?
She was never CHARGED with Attempted Murder...she was charged with aggravated assault.
In fact, Attempted Murder is not even a charge in the Criminal code of Canada! You guys watch too much American TV! -
- Islander
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:34:45
3 months for attempted murder, only on PEI. I think it is time for Douglas to step down, this type of sentencing is getting to be too common in his court.....If you want to do a crime on PEI, just make sure you are in his district..
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- TA
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:29:54
Every defense lawyer will tell his client to show remorse when they go before the judge. The only remorseful thing these people feel is that they got caught. The rest is bull. Judges know it, heck they were mostly defense lawyers before being appointed to the bench. This is all for public perception and allows judges to hand down these lenient sentences. Who is putting justice in disrepute more than our judges? May the fleas of a 1000 camels invest this judge's armpits.
Man its cold out. I had to climb up the roof this morning and pull the smoke out of the chimney... -
- T J
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:25:17
The justice system says it's getting tougher,I don't think so.The judges have to take a stronger stance.
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- No DETERRENT!
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:16:22
Repeat offender.... NO DETERRENT....!!!
Enough said! -
- OLd Tory
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:11:24
Does anyone know the minimum sentence for attempted murder ?
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- Charlottetown
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:11:23
Attempted murder gets you 3 months! Wow I hope she lives that long, thats a pretty harsh stint in there.
Give me a break. -
- PEI female
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:07:59
Over the past few months ive watched this section of the news paper mainly because alot of guys were complaining how charges work depending on heir sex and I have seen this over and over and this one does it for me. 3 months is stupid. It would take longer that that to recover from being stabbed in the chest. What are they thinking?
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- Terry
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:07:07
like said above there seems to be no justice system.To hurt somebody like she did,a slap on the wrist.
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- Billy
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:06:27
Judge Douglas doesn't fool around- 10 days , followed by five day's,
scaaaaary. Three months for stabbing someone in the chest...What's a leg stab gonna get ya....2 weeks maybe..sad sad sad.. -
- Dick
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:01:32
Come to PEI...where you can attempt to murder someone and get away with it!!! ANYBODY who uses a weapon to harm someone else, should automatically have to serve 2 years in jail, unless it is deemed that the weapon was used in self-defence. People are too quick to resort to weapons these days....whatever happened to someone using their fist when there is a disagreement?? The judicial system on PEI is very embarressing!!! People commit major crimes and all they get is a slap on the wrist. People can steal huge sums of money from child organizations and get house arrest, they can stab someone in the chest with a knife and get nothing.
Unfortunately its going to take someone seriously getting injured or dying before the judicial system wakes up and hands out stiffer sentences to these criminals. Repeat offenders should get much harsher sentence everytime they commit a crime....I'm sick of this time served crap. Just because they served 4 months on their last conviction, shouldn't mean that amount of time gets taken off their sentence the second or third time around. They should be adding the time served ONTO the new sentence and add the 4 months to their new sentence since the 4 months they served obviously didn't help straighten them out.
Its sad that the government and the judicial system cares so little about the safety of people who live on PEI. Some innocent person is going to lose their life and the person responsible will still continue to get slapped on the wrist and will be free to run the streets again in a month or 2 months time. Its just not right. We need harsher laws for serious convictions such as attempted murder and anything involving a weapon. -
- flo
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:01:31
Guess there is no justice left. hasn,t been on pei for a long time!!!
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- NO LESSON LEARNT
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:57:51
After Stabbing a person in the Chest which could have killed them - Danielle Jocelyn Bernard was given a VACATION instead of a Sentence!! I'd like to know how many times she has gone before a Judge! Seems to me I have read about more than one other case that this person was involved in! And she'll most likely be before the Judge again as such sentences provide no deterrent!
Why bother wasting our tax dollars on a court case? What is the point of our RCMP and Police doing their job when it accomplishes nothing!
Disgusted! -
- John
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:51:29
I have to wonder if anyone that's in a position to do something about these insane sentences ever read this comment section. I'd have to say NO ! As a born and bred Islander, I think we need to protest, write our MLAs, and whoever else we need to contact about this situation. The sentences for crimes on PEI are ridiculous to say the least. Judge Douglas needs to either step down or go back to school. If this person had of went before Judge Nancy Orr, she would have been sentenced appropriately in my opinion.
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- hmmmm
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:43:37
the fact that she at least felt remorse and wants to change her life makes her sentence go down considerably. How does the judge know she is serious? Anyone can say anything to get a lesser sentence and still do the same crime. This is just a slap on the wrist. I wonder if the sentence would be the same if the girl suffered serious injuries and Bernard still apologized. Would her sentence go down just because she felt remorse and wants to change her life? Anyone can 'want to change their life but who actually goes about doing it when they are a criminal??
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- Patricia
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:42:16
This has got to stop!!! Aren't our lawyers appointed to the bench? I am sure no one wants the job, but why pay them to let people do as they please and keep re-offending. Encourage them to sell drugs, stab, hit while impaired or driving with improper lighting on their vehicle, steal property...that is all our court system across PEI is doing...not one judge but all of them. The constant articles in the paper make the public sick because there is no deterent. Judges, if this was your loved one affected, what do you think would be fair retribution? Pray about that! No wonder RCMP and police officersdon't want to file reports because cases just get thrown out of court or get a slap on the wrist...may as well go have a coffee and donut!
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- D
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:40:19
3 MONTHS....wow Mike Danton got 6 years for plotting...iomagine if he had a KNIFE....WHAT A JOKE!!!!!! IS this 3 months just because she is a WOMAN??????????????? PEI IS A JOKE
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- BOB DOLE
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:36:14
(Judicial system on PEI is a total JOKE)
that's what i was thinking when i read the story, she should have been charged with attempted murder. but on PEI they always let these crazies off easy. I wonder if the judge would feel the same way if it was his Wife/daughter/sister that was stabbed and the one who tried to kill her only got a slap on the wrist?
we need to get tougher on all the crimes. this place is going to the dogs. -
- yah go figure!
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:34:00
didnt this all take place almost a year ago? this isnt her first affence either.WOW.
get charged with dangerous drive, get 18mnths, Stab someone (with intention of killing them, because come on! you stab someone in the chest KNOWIN it could kill them) and you only get 3 months plus 15 extra days.
pft, this place just gets worse as far as justice goes!
