Crown seeks life sentence for man who attacked woman and baby in Sudbury

Hero in last week's Sudbury knife attack CTV Northern Ontario's Molly Frommer talks to the man who helped save a mom and her children in last week's knife attack in Sudbury.

Sudbury — The man who pleaded guilty to a vicious 2019 knife attack on a Sudbury woman and her baby is another step closer to learning how much longer he will be in jail.

Day 2 of the sentencing hearing for Alexander Stavropoulos was held virtually Friday and included testimony from Dr. Jonathan Gray, a forensic psychiatrist, and victim impact statements.

The Crown attorneys on the case, Kevin Ludgate and Leonard Kim, are seeking a life sentence on the two attempted murder charges to which Stavropoulos pleaded guilty.

The stabbing in the parking lot of a Sudbury craft store on June 3, 2019, was not his first violent incident in Sudbury. He served 99 days in jail for another knife attack at the Sudbury transit terminal on April 1, 2018. He was on probation at the time of the second attack.

Stavropoulos is being represented by Nick Xynnis and Glenn Sandberg. Xynnis represented him in the transit centre incident. The defence said they will likely ask for a jail sentence of 8-12 years, minus credit for time served in custody. Stavropoulos has been in jail for 27 months.

Gray told the court there's a high risk Stavropoulos will reoffend, stating he is at a recidivism Level 7 out of 9. Stavropoulos said he targeted the child in the parking lot for shock value and the mother was collateral damage, Gray told the court.

The Crown's attempt to have Stavropoulos declared a dangerous offender last year failed after he pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Sandberg told CTV News the guilty plea suggests he has remorse for what he did, that he has accepted responsibility and spared the victim from having to go to court to testify.

On Friday, the court heard that Stavropoulos left his hometown of Toronto because it was "too multicultural." In an interview after his arrest, he told officers that he wanted to randomly kill a white girl or child because he was sexually frustrated.

The court heard victim impact statements from the woman who was stabbed, her husband, her parents, and a bystander at the scene.

The victim described experiencing excruciating pain following the incident and the loss of sensation in her head and neck has not yet been completely resolved. She said a major artery to her brain had been severed as a result of the incident and her baby has a permanent scar on her chin from being cut.

The aftermath has also been extremely trying mentally, as well, and the woman said her baby rejected her for a while after she returned home.

The last scheduled day of the sentencing hearing will take place virtually Sept. 27. It is unclear whether Justice Karen Lische will deliver a decision on the final day or reserve it until a later time.