Mentally ill man given suspended sentence for assault on teenage boy

A mentally ill Edmonton man who had been off his medication for a week when he attacked a 13-year-old boy was given an 18-month suspended sentence on Friday.

Silas Parsons, 20, pleaded guilty in Alberta Provincial Court to assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer.

On Oct. 4, 2021, around 3:15 p.m., the boy was walking home from school when Parsons pushed him down and brandished a steak knife to his stomach, according to an agreed statement of facts.

Video of the attack was recorded on a nearby doorbell camera. The boy escaped when Parsons backed off after nearby motorists began sounding their horns.

“The gravity of the offence of grabbing a 13-year-old kid who is walking down the street … it would have been terrifying for this young boy,” said Judge Renée Cochard.

She noted that while the boy was not physically hurt, “it wouldn’t have taken much to alter that.”

Court heard that while Parsons and the boy lived on the same block, the two were not known to each other and the attack was unprovoked.

Parsons, who was 19 at the time of the assault, retreated to his home after the attack. He was arrested after a tactical team surrounded the home and following a lengthy negotiation with police.

Court heard that after he was arrested, he was taken to a police station where he bit an officer on the leg and later had to be restrained again after he escaped his handcuffs.

In handing down the sentence, Cochard said that “in my view, rehabilitation has to be key.”

“A diagnosis of mental illness is something to be considered when we’re talking about moral blameworthiness of the individual.”

She also pointed to the 2 1/2 months Parsons had spent at a mental health facility "on an involuntary basis" since the attack.

He spoke briefly in court, and expressed remorse for his actions.

“I’m sorry about trying to stab the kid,” Parsons said.

His mother told CTV News in October that she believes funding cuts resulted in fewer case worker visits and may have led him to self-medicate.

The 18-month sentence is suspended provided Parsons meets a number of conditions including continuing with his course of medical treatment and avoiding the boy and his home.

A third charge, possession of a weapon, was withdrawn by Crown prosecutors.