Yellowknife (Nov 22/04) - A suicidal Tuktoyaktuk man who held his wife at gunpoint and begged her to shoot him with a 12-gauge shotgun was sentenced to eight months in jail last Tuesday in Yellowknife.

"I'm sorry for what I done," the man told the court as he pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon. He was also convicted on another charge of failing to obey a court order. "I'm sorry for Tuktoyaktuk."

The man -- who was intoxicated -- and his wife began arguing at around 6 a.m. on Sept. 18 in Tuk, Crown attorney Loretta Colton told the court.

The man first kicked his wife then picked up a shotgun, loaded several shells and pointed it at her. Later, he pointed the gun at himself and asked her to pull the trigger.

The woman refused and the man fired a round through a window in the shed. The noise prompted neighbours to call police. The woman managed to escape and also called the RCMP.