Curtis Allen Paul was sentenced to 21 months in prison Tuesday, but he will be released in less than a year.
The 33-year-old Pictou Landing man has been in custody for a total of 230 days since his first arrest in Aug. 26, 2016, on charges of aggravated assault, to which he pleaded guilty in an earlier appearance.
Paul was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 26 after RCMP were called to a home on Pictou Landing Road over reports of a stabbing. Police say a man at the scene suffered five stab wounds which included a two-centimetre cut at the base of his neck.
The victim was taken to the Aberdeen Hospital for treatment and Paul was arrested. The victim told police that he’d had an argument earlier in the evening with Paul and when he left the house later on, he was confronted by him again in the middle of the street.
Witnesses said after the stabbing, Paul followed the victim into a residence with his knife still in his hand.
Crown attorney Jody McNeill said if Paul is awarded the usual 1.5 days for every day served in custody then his total remand time would be increased to 345.
He asked the court to consider a sentence of 18 months for the stabbing and an additional four months consecutive for uttering threats earlier in August as well as breaching a recognizance.
Defence lawyer Doug Lloy told the court his client accepted full responsibility for his actions and was described as hard-working fisherman by both his mother and employer.
Lloy said his client’s use of alcohol and drugs has caused him some trouble in the past, but Paul said he has decreased his drinking since his child was born.
He also took part in programs while in custody to improve himself.
Judge Del Atwood sentenced Paul to 18 months for aggravated assault with credit for time served. He also ordered Paul to serve a total of three months consecutive to the 18-month sentence for the counts of uttering threats and breach of a court order.
This means his total sentence is 21 months, but since he has already served close to 11 months in prison as he made his way through the court process, the remainder of his sentence is closer to 10 months.
Once released from prison, he will serve 18 months’ probation. He is also prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years. Paul was given 24 months to pay $300 in victim surcharge fines.
