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McPherson man gets five years

Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 26/00) - Frankie James Smith, formerly of Fort McPherson, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault with a weapon.

Justice J.E. Richard sentenced Smith Friday in Supreme Court in Yellowknife.

The charges stem from incidents on March 7, when Smith assaulted a man with a half-full bottle of vodka and a knife and then broke into the Yellowknife Home for the Homeless. There, he held a worker at knifepoint for two hours, stabbing him several times, in the chest, arm and back. The stab wounds were all minor.

"It goes without saying that these are serious crimes and that seriousness must be reflected in the sentence imposed," Richard said when handing down the sentence and added, "I was impressed with the words you spoke in court...you strike me as a person with more than a Grade 9 education...the words you spoke are perhaps the most important aspect of this court case."

The previous day Smith explained how he now realizes one can choose between two roads and he plans to further his education and help others avoid his situation in life, while he is in prison.

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

Smith was sentenced to one year in custody on the assault charge and four years for the count of attempted murder.