Iqaluit man sentenced to five and a half years for attempted murder
Robert Flaherty, 37, stabbed two women in 2022
Iqaluit man Robert Flaherty, convicted of attempted murder, walks into the Iqaluit courthouse in May. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
A man who pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of two women in Iqaluit was sentenced to five and half years in jail Monday.
Robert Flaherty, 37, appeared in person at the Nunavut Court of Justice to hear the sentence.
On Oct. 20, 2022, at 7 p.m. RCMP responded to a report of stabbing at a house in Iqaluit’s Happy Valley area. A woman told police that Flaherty came to the house to ask her and her sister for money.
An argument broke out, Crown prosecutor Emma Baasch said, reading out an agreed statement of facts.
Flaherty pulled a black handled fold-out knife and “became violent,” Baasch said.
Both women suffered multiple stab wounds and had to be taken to Qikiqtani General Hospital. One required two rounds of emergency surgery for the wounds to her stomach and lung.
At the time of the incident, all thee were intoxicated, and Flaherty admitted to having used cocaine throughout the day, Baasch said.
On Oct. 21, 2024, Flaherty pleaded guilty to attempted murder along with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes and possession of property obtained by crime.
Flaherty is originally from Grise Fiord, where he lived until he was 15 or 16 years old and was never exposed to “social ills” like drugs and alcohol, his lawyer Matthew Shadley said.
“He never really drank alcohol before, but he started just to fit in,” Shadley said.
But when he moved to Iqaluit, he felt like he needed to start drinking like some of his friends did.
At the time of the incident, Flaherty was “lost in drugs and alcohol” and has no recollection of what happened that night.
The incident and time in jail were a “wakeup call” for Flaherty, Shadley said.
He started doing counseling despite feeling “a bit embarrassed” at first. He also went through an addiction program and volunteered at the maintenance program doing work at the jail, Shadley said giving Justice Vital Ouellette copies of some of his client’s certificates of completion.
Crown and defence lawyers made a joint submission asking for five-and-a-half year sentence.
Because Flaherty had already served almost three years in custody before being sentenced, he will now serve just over a year — 383 days — in jail.
Days spent in pre-sentence custody count as day and a half.
Also, Flaherty should have no contact with one victim, but the other has “expressly requested” to be allowed to be able to have contact with him, Baasch said.
Ouellette accepted the joint submission.
“Did I hear correctly you have three children?” he asked Flaherty, adding that they must have grown in the years their father has been in custody.
Flaherty nodded saying that he only had the chance to see them a few time over the past three years.
“Your actions speak well,” Ouellette said, noting Flaherty has been doing volunteer work while in jail.
“You didn’t just wait to get out.”
Flaherty will serve the remainder of his sentence in the Iqaluit jail.
Nunavut Justice system joke again
Another slap on the wrist for yet another sickening act of brutality.
Nunavut is a very dangerous place in which to be a woman.
Such a lame sentence. If the courts don’t care about this level of violence then how do you expect the community to deter from it? this guy has always been a drinker, he’s pulling on a fast one on you. Criminals like this aren’t that stupid, they understand they get a lesser sentence because their Inuk, they know.
No more violence, the justice system needs to step up. How do we do this? Need less light sentences.
I will bet you he will get into alcohol and drugs again and harm more.
Iqaluit been through alot. I hope they give them good hopes and well wish words of wisdom
Um. What’s that now?
What is None of it.?
Oh sorry,, Nunavut….
Good hearted are pushed away from Nunavut and the killers can stay but in jail… money stealing still going… serve them rigth… alcohol is fun… lol
Who cares about crime… that’s Canada under the NDP/Liberals. Have soft gloves with the guy or female who drinks and does crime. The normalization of the criminal to victim flip. Who cares if almost killed or killed a female, male or child.
Nunavut’s MP didn’t even bother to vote on the tougher bail reform motion…. “Jail Not Bail Act” this past Monday. But back on September 26, 2024, the Nunavut NDP MP supported the private member’s bill to criminals speech… up to 2 years in jail. If you said good things about residential schools.
It was only a 3, 4 years ago when a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Nunavut was going on the radio stating the Nunavut government will fine you big bucks in the thousands of dollars for singing in church.
Now in the works, Bill C-8 is to silence speech the NDP/Liberals don’t like. Again, no concern about crime, cartels, money laundering, drugged-out streets happening all across Canada?
So, is it expected of Nunavut MLA election candidates will talk tough on crime but once elected will do the opposite and treat you as the criminal? To jail you for posting a meme the government doesn’t like… or if someone is offended, their feelings hurt… as happening in the UK for the past year.
While criminals walk free to repeat over and over.
Missing His Honour’s Judge Paul Bychok yet?
Criminal Code of Canada:
“Attempt to commit murder
239 (1) Every person who attempts by any means to commit murder is guilty of an indictable offence and liable
(a) if a restricted firearm or prohibited firearm is used in the commission of the offence or if any firearm is used in the commission of the offence and the offence is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal organization, to imprisonment for life and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of
(i) in the case of a first offence, five years, and
(ii) in the case of a second or subsequent offence, seven years;
(a.1) in any other case where a firearm is used in the commission of the offence, to imprisonment for life and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of four years; and
(b) in any other case, to imprisonment for life.”
I reckon that is why he is sentenced to 5 years?