A Calgary woman was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment on Wednesday for an attack last year that left a 64-year-old Calgary woman with permanent spinal cord injuries.
Stephanie Favel was sentenced for pushing Rozalia Meichl onto the Victoria Park CTrain tracks back in November.
But with credit for time served and other mitigating factors, Favel will spend 41 months behind bars or just under three and a half years. The judge referenced her childhood and the difficulties she faced growing up as an Indigenous teen.
“It was a horrible upbringing, she had a very, very difficult childhood resulting in losing both sisters… she takes full responsibility,” defence lawyer Adriano Iovanelli said. “It’s not an excuse but those are her personal circumstances in how this came to be.”
WATCH: A Calgary woman will spend less than three and a half years behind bars for pushing a senior onto the CTrain tracks, leaving her a paraplegic. Christa Dao has more on the sentence and why the victim’s family says it doesn’t go far enough. Warning: Some details and/or images may be disturbing to some viewers.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Favel “without provocation” pushed Meichl using her “left shoulder and elbow” on Nov. 8, 2018.
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“The force knocked the victim off of the platform and down to the tracks below,” the statement read.
Meichl’s daughter Charmaine Newman previously told Global News her mother would never walk again.
Judge Harry Van Harten said the act “resulted in true tragedy to the victim.” Meichl suffered a serious spinal fracture and the attack ultimately rendered her paraplegic.
Newman broke down in tears as the judge read his statement. Outside the courts, Newman told reporters she didn’t think the sentence goes far enough.
Iovinelli said Favel was remorseful for her actions that day and would take it back if she could. Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor was asking for five years for the random assault while the defence was arguing for three and a half years.
“She was expecting a five-year sentence today. She’s at peace and she’s asking for forgiveness for her actions. She’s prepared to serve her sentence,” Iovinelli said.
Newman said her mother is doing OK emotionally and news of the sentence hasn’t quite fully sunk in. The family said they hope to close the chapter on this painful story and move forward.
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