Rankin Inlet (Nov 15/04) - A Whale Cove man has been sentenced to 14 years in a federal penitentiary for the brutal slaying of a Rankin Inlet woman in March 2003.

Allen Kabvitok, 36, was sentenced in Rankin this past week after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Kabvitok was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of Donna Kusugak, 34.

He will be eligible for parole in seven years.

Kusugak's brother, Lorne, read a victim impact statement at the sentencing.

He said words fail to describe the emotions he felt as the 14-year sentence was handed out.

"People who kill should not be given another chance to walk freely on this Earth," said Lorne. "They should be locked in jail and the key thrown away.

"Murder is murder, but it's even more unsettling when you're talking about somebody beating a woman to death."

Lorne said the sentences being handed down by the courts aren't nearly enough to stop the wave of violence sweeping across Nunavut.

He said too many violent offenders are being able to return to their communities after serving light sentences for horrific crimes.

"We have too many people in Nunavut who do great harm to people and get sentenced to two years less a day, or a year here and two years there.

"What do we have to start doing? Are we going to have to start putting innocent women in cages to protect them from animals like this?"

Lorne said the system is not working the way it was intended. He said if the justice system continues to let violent offenders back into the communities, people will soon have to take matters into their own hands to protect their families. "I know it's been said before, but it's true -- the courts seem more concerned with the rights of the people who commit these brutal crimes than the rights of the victims.

"Innocent victims are paying with their lives. Innocent victims like my sister, who we'll never see again."