Man who attacked Edmonton mom in front of her kids has sentence reduced by 5 years
Warning: This story contains details of a violent attack and a reference to suicide.
A man who slammed an Edmonton mother to the ground and strangled her outside of a downtown daycare in 2021 has had his nine-year prison sentence reduced to four years.
Alberta's court of appeal issued a written decision Tuesday in the case of Rockie Rabbit, 32, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and overcoming resistance by choking.
Rabbit was on methamphetamine when he "committed a brutal and unprovoked attack on a stranger," the appeal ruling states.
The victim was a 39-year-old woman who was picking up her children from daycare.
The six- and eight-year-old kids “cried hysterically” while they watched the attack through a glass door. When police arrived, they found Rabbit on top of the mother, still strangling her.
Crown prosecutors initially sought a six-year prison sentence but Rabbit’s lawyer wanted him to serve three years. Judge Carrie Sharpe decided on nine years for each count, to run concurrently.
"Understandably, the sentencing judge was moved by the gravity of the offence and its effect on the victim and her family," said the appeal decision signed by Justice's Jolaine Antonio and Bernette Ho.
"However, she lost sight of the proportionality principle and fell into error by seemingly viewing recognition of any mitigating factor as an undermining of the gravity of the offence."
The victim sustained "little lasting physical injury" but the appeal judges acknowledged it put her "life at risk" and caused lifelong "psychological effects" on her and her family.
Still, they decided a lesser sentence was appropriate based on similar cases, Rabbit's guilty plea and Indigenous "Gladue factors" including poverty, abuse and drug use.
Rabbit asked the victim “did you kill my daughter?” before he attacked her and was hallucinating at the time, the appeal judges noted.
Some of his family members had recently died including by suicide, a heroin overdose and a murder, the appeal decision states.
"His use of drugs at this time, while unlawful and dangerous, is to some degree explained by his past environment and recent events in his life," the judges wrote.
"He did have a history of prior drug use and was described as 'angry and violent' when using, but he had never before experienced hallucinations similar to those that precipitated the subject attack. These factors diminish his moral blameworthiness."
Rabbit was given credit for the 379 days he spent in jail prior to being sentenced.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.