A young man who admitted to fatally stabbing his father during an argument last year was sentenced to a lenient sentence of seven years in prison on Thursday, after the harrowing account of the abuse inflicted on him by the victim, a bar owner tyrannical, alcoholic and violent.
“This is a case that stands out from 99.9% of cases,” underlined the Crown prosecutor, Ms.e Claude Berlinguette-Auger, to explain the common suggestion of a seven-year sentence, agreed with the defense as part of the accused’s conviction for manslaughter. In comparable cases, sentences usually range from 9 to 12 years in penitentiary.
“We are dealing with a special situation,” however, recognized Superior Court Judge Lyne Décarie.
The victim in this case, Ahmad Shoaib, owned Pub Shoby, an establishment in the Latin Quarter. The father of five children, he had immigrated to Canada from Pakistan with his family and had enjoyed some success in business, which ensured the financial stability of the clan.
In letters filed in court, the accused’s brothers and sisters, however, described their father as “a belligerent alcoholic who constantly mistreated all members of the family, both verbally and physically.” In the years before his death, family members called 911 ten times because of the father’s aggressive attitude. The latter beat his wife and children.
Drunk and irritated
In the early morning of June 24, 2022, Ahmad Shoaib came home “drunk and irritated,” again according to the summary filed in court. He began to be aggressive, physically and verbally, with one of his sons. He threatened to cut off his supplies, even to kill him.
Farhan Shoaib, then 21, intervened and defended his brother. The man’s anger then turned towards him. He threatened to kick her out of the house, a possibility he often discussed.
Farhan Shoaib was the youngest child in the family. His brothers and sisters said in their letters filed in court that he had suffered particularly from his father’s physical and verbal abuse.
The accused was described as a quiet, shy young man who looked after stray cats in the alley and lived increasingly reclusive in his bedroom to avoid his father.
The morning of the argument, while his father was belching in rage, he went to get a knife from his bedroom in the basement. “He kept a knife because he was afraid of his father, due to his belligerent and aggressive behavior,” specifies the written summary of the facts.
When Farhan Shoaib came back up, his father was standing at the top of the stairs. He pushed his son. The latter responded by stabbing him three times in the abdomen.
Ahmad Shoaib died a few hours later in hospital. Tests revealed a very high blood alcohol level, as well as traces of ketamine, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.
Family support
In a letter addressed to her son and filed as evidence, the mother of the accused and wife of the deceased described having already tried to leave her husband, who had already tried to strangle her. But she had not been able to complete her approach. “In Pakistan, there is no respect for a divorced girl,” she said in her letter.
She told her son to hold on during his years of detention and rebuild his life afterward. “I want you to read good books if you can,” she said.
I love you and I will love you forever.
Excerpt from the letter from the accused’s mother
“What is exceptional here is that all the members of the family support the accused,” underlined the latter’s lawyer, Mr.e Eric Sutton.
Judge Lyne Décarie said she agreed with the suggestion of a seven-year sentence, after reading the “very eloquent” letters from family members.
“I want to wish you good luck, and wish the family members good luck. I hope you can move on, for the better, from now on,” she said.
Subtracting the time he spent in preventive detention, Farhan Shoaib has five years left in prison. If all goes well, he will be able to ask for parole after a third of his sentence.