Nicola Spagnolo, considered by the police to be a member of the Sicilian clan of the Montreal mafia, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for having stabbed a young man following an argument, at the exit of a bar of the Old Montreal, during the summer of 2020.
Dressed in a jacket and sweatpants, the 48-year-old was handcuffed after Quebec Court Judge Yves Paradis finished reading his judgment, and transported to courthouse detention from Montreal.
“Although the victim’s behavior was not described as exemplary, the use of a sharp object was totally unjustified. Moreover, the attack was sudden and committed without any warning sign of the presence of a weapon,” the magistrate reproached the condemned man.
Severe injuries
The victim in this case, whose identity is subject to a publication ban, has two scars 30 and 15 centimeters long, in the stomach and on the side.
The young man, who testified at the trial, spent four days in the hospital and was in convalescence for three months.
Among the aggravating factors, Judge Paradis took into account the nature of the offence, the seriousness of the injuries suffered by the victim, the healing time, the age of Spagnolo – “who is not a young man said the judge – and of his extensive history of alcohol impairment.
“The aggravating factors are the use of a weapon without warning and the physical, psychological and economic consequences for the victim,” added the judge.
It was his knife
Spagnolo’s lawyer, M.e Danièle Roy, had pleaded that the knife used by his client could have been given to him by a third party, but the judge rejected this argument.
“Mr. Spagnolo had this item on him. Again, the object was used without warning and without any sign of its presence,” judge Paradis ruled.
During the pleadings, Mr.e Roy claimed his client was intoxicated at the time, but the magistrate said “there was no evidence that alcohol played a role in Mr. Spagnolo’s behavior.”
Me Roy also said his client was remorseful and was prepared to offer the victim financial compensation, including for lost work days.
The judge considered that the condemned man’s remorse was difficult to assess and added that he had not considered the offer made to the victim, because the latter did not claim it.
The Pursuit, represented by Mr.e Matthew Ferguson, asked for four years in prison and the Defense, 18 months in prison.
Nicola Spagnolo spent half a dozen days in detention after his arrest.
The events were in no way related to organized crime.
In addition to his history of alcohol consumption, Spagnolo has already been fined for an assault in 1998 and was sentenced to nine months in prison for possessing and transporting a firearm with the serial number masked in 2013.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.