(File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Prison life

Stabbing incidents at Sask Pen result in eight-year sentence

Sep 29, 2022 | 1:32 PM

Klaine Campeau said he no longer wanted to waste the court’s time.

The 29-year-old entered guilty pleas on Thursday to aggravated assault, related to two separate stabbing incidents that happened at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in early 2020. Campeau appeared at Prince Albert Provincial Court via video from Milhaven Institution in Ontario

At the time of the offences, Campeau was serving a 7.5-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction. He was among the five men charged in the death of an inmate at the prison in 2016. The attack had occurred during a riot that had lasted the better part of nine and a half hours.

According to the facts read in court Thursday, the first stabbing incident in 2020, happened on the morning of Jan. 23. Campeau and a second inmate were seen leaving their cell, and went to the victim’s cell.

The victim sustained a number of head and chest injuries and was stabbed in the back nine times.

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The second incident occurred six days later in a common area of the prison. This time Campeau approached the victim from behind and repeatedly stabbed him. The victim was treated in hospital for five stab wounds to his thorax.

From St. Albert, Alta, and a member of Yellow Quill First Nation, Campeau’s warrant on his manslaughter conviction was set to expire in July, 2027, and was eligible for statutory release in Nov., 2024.

When given the opportunity to speak, the clean-cut and baby-faced Campeau accepted responsibility for his actions. He also explained he thought the manslaughter conviction would have been his last.

“I’m just trying to get out,” he said. “I don’t know how this happened.”

In response, Judge Healey informed Campeau his actions were not the way to get out, and also reminded him how close he was to his statutory release date.

“You’re a young guy. You can turn things around,” he said.

According to information heard in court, Campeau has been focused on school and programming and has also met a woman, who he has expressed an interest in marrying.

Judge Healey encouraged Campeau to stay the course, while also reminding him, further offences could result in the Crown seeking dangerous offender status which would ultimately mean spending the rest of his days behind bars.

“If that happens, that would be a tragedy,” Healey said.

The man who assisted Campeau, Dwayne Ford, was sentenced last January and also received eight years.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell