A Saskatoon man who was high on methamphetamine when he used a box cutter to slash a stranger’s throat says his four-year sentence is too harsh.
That was the reason Joseph Michael Kilcher provided for appealing his federal term — which had been sought by the Crown — after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
When imposing her sentence, Judge Donna Scott said Kilcher committed a serious offence that warranted a serious consequence.
Last July, Kilcher cut a 29-year-old man’s neck during a confrontation at a Saskatoon trailer park. The men had never met but they both knew women who were inside one of the mobile homes.
The victim stopped by to visit when Kilcher opened the front door, court heard. He was high on methamphetamine and said the woman’s mother had mentioned earlier that the man had previously “come on” to one of the women.
Kilcher grabbed a box cutter from his car and attacked the man, who bled so much he believed he was dying, Scott summarized at sentencing.
The victim was left with severe physical injuries — ranging from facial paralysis to heart problems — and a fear of leaving his home. He was also denied access to his daughter out of concern for her safety.
Scott said because of those devastating consequences, and the fact that it was an unprovoked attack on a stranger, “The sentencing objectives of denunciation and deterrence are paramount in this case.”
Kilcher has previous assault convictions related to his history of drug abuse, court heard. He started using crystal meth in 2016 to deal with a brain injury, and his case was adjourned to see if the injury had any impact on his criminal behaviour. Kilcher chose not to pursue that avenue of defence, saying drugs are the root cause of his violence.
Scott recommended Kilcher for addiction programming while in custody. He told court he is committed to changing his life and wants to attend Teen Challenge, a faith-based rehabilitation program, upon his release.
He also apologized to the victim, saying he didn’t realize how bad the man’s injury was until he saw the seven-inch neck scar in court.