Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 21/01) - A territorial court judge took into account a woman's "tragic" past but still sentenced her to two and a half years in jail for violent offenses.

Karen Lander was convicted of sexual assault, unlawful confinement and being unlawfully in a dwelling on Dec. 25 last year. She was also convicted of assault causing bodily harm in March.

Lander, who was four months pregnant at the sentencing on Tuesday, took long pauses when she addressed the court before her sentence was handed down in a effort to choose her words.

"I have had a chance to look back at what my life had been like ... and I am really ashamed that I lived that way," she said. "I just want to apologize to those people that I hurt."

Judge Michel Bourassa acknowledged her life of alcohol, physical and sexual abuses, calling what was written in a pre-sentence report, "a terrible and dysfunctional life."

"Be that as it may, I have to address the accused's conduct before me," Bourassa said.

He called that conduct irrational rage.

Last winter Lander's victim went home to find that she had followed her to her dwelling. Lander forced the woman's clothes off, removed her own, laid on her and "mauled her, pawed her and punched her," Bourassa said. "One could call this a rape."

Last spring Lander made a pass at a woman at the Gold Range Bar and when rebuffed, attacked her.

"She sunk her teeth into her arm because her sex overtures were turned down," Bourassa summarized before imposing a sentence of 30 months.

Lander has a previous record including assaults, and illegal substance- and firearms-related convictions. She has had hardships involving cocaine, alcohol, four children being taken from her as well as many forms of abuse.