Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 23/00) - The sentencing of a man found guilty of attempted murder and assault with a weapon will be determined this afternoon (Friday).

Frankie James Smith pleaded guilty yesterday in Supreme Court in Yellowknife to holding a Yellowknife Home for the Homeless worker at knifepoint for two hours and stabbing him several times.

He also pleaded guilty to assaulting a man with a half-full bottle of vodka and a knife at a drinking party earlier the same night, March 7.

"(Chris) Green was subjected to trauma and essentially held prisoner for two hours," explained Crown counsel Mark Scrivens. Green went to sleep on the couch at the homeless shelter and at about 3 a.m. heard Smith outside demanding to be let in out of the -30 C cold. He was denied access to the shelter, where he was residing, because he was intoxicated and it was past midnight.

Smith entered through the basement and when Green met him there he was threatened with a knife by Smith. Throughout that time Smith scratched and poked Green with the knife and said, "You left me outside to die and now you're going to die."

Smith had also asked Green at one point to take another knife and kill him. Ultimately Green escaped and as he bolted up the stairs Smith stabbed him in the back. Green went to the hospital later that day, received antibiotic treatments, but did not have to stay overnight.

"The wounds were all fairly minor," argued Smith's defence lawyer James Brydon.

Before adjourning sentencing yesterday Smith, 27, was allowed to speak.

"I realize there's two roads to take but usually I don't think that way,' he said. "I hate to say I'm thankful this situation came about ... but this thing has opened my eyes pretty much.

"Life is not something to be thrown away, it's something to work at."

The Crown is asking for a sentence of five to six years imprisonment while the defence is requesting four to five years. Justice J.E. Richard will announce Smith's sentence at 2 p.m. today.