A Kemptville woman who stabbed her husband to death has been sentenced to eight years in prison, despite her plead for leniency, claiming she was a victim of abuse at the hands of her husband.
Two years ago, Teresa Craig stabbed her husband Jack while he slept. He bled to death inside their RV in Kemptville, just south of Ottawa on March 31, 2006.
Craig's defence lawyer Richard Morris argued she was a victim of battered-wife syndrome due to emotional and verbal abuse. He had asked for a conditional sentence to be served in the community.
In his judgement, justice Robert Maranger said the homicide was "a very cruel, monstrous act committed by what appears to be a fundamentally decent person."
The sentence for manslaughter can be as little as time served in the community.
Craig's supporters left the Ottawa courthouse in disbelief over the sentence.
"That it is not as damaging as someone actually physically hitting you, that's the problem I have with the definition of battered-wife syndrome," said Craig's friend Barbara Winthrop outside the courthouse on Friday.
Craig's 12-year-old son is now in foster care. He could be an adult by the time his mother is free. Even then, they might be separated because as a landed immigrant, Craig could be deported after serving her time.
"Regardless of what the judge's sentence was, it's a tragic situation. We have a 12-year-old boy who has lost his mother and his father," Morris told reporters after the sentencing.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins
