by Chris Meyers Almey
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 26/97) - A man "who went berserk" and stabbed three people in Deline has been sent to prison for two years less a day.

In territorial court in Yellowknife on May 13, Crown prosecutor Sandra Aitken said Floyd Tetso, 21, was drinking with a group of people on March 5 when he picked a fight with a man, stabbing him in the upper left arm, lower right arm and in the chest.

He also stabbed a woman in the upper right arm, she said.

The man's wounds were serious and he had to be flown to Yellowknife for surgery with one 20-centimetre gash going right to the bone and another slash 15 centimetres long. Stitching had to be done in layers of muscle tissue.

In another house shortly after, Tetso slashed a woman on the forearm when she tried to calm him down.

When Tetso came into the second home he tried to shake hands with the woman but she noticed it was covered in blood so she refused, which sent Tetso into a rage.

Noting that Tetso went "totally berserk in a rage," the judge said it was only by sheer chance that no one was killed.

Bourassa sentenced Tetso to two years less a day for aggravated assault, 18 months for assault with a weapon plus 18 months for the third attack and six months for uttering death threats, all to be served at the same time.

Tetso was placed on probation for a year during which time he can't drink and he is banned from using a firearm for 10 years.