Crown and Defence Seek Life, 15 Years Without Parole, for Deadly BC Mass Stabbing

Yannick Bandaogo (left) appears in court before Justice Geoffrey Gaulin in New Westminster, B.C., on May 29, 2023 in this artist's sketch. The Canadian Press/Jane Wolsak

Crown and defence lawyers have jointly suggested a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years for the man who stabbed a woman to death and injured several other victims at a North Vancouver, B.C., library two years ago.

Yannick Bandaogo, 30, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, several charges of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault over the March 2021 mass stabbing.

Crown lawyers and Bandaogo’s defence team have told a sentencing hearing they agree on the recommended non-parole period, although Justice Geoffrey R.J. Gaul may still decide on a different term.

Victim impact statements have concluded at the British Columbia Supreme Court in New Westminster, with the mother-in-law of the lone victim killed in the attack calling Bandaogo a “monster” who stole from her son a life with the woman he loved.

She told the court her son and the victim had been planning to build a life together in Canada, and her death devastated everyone who knew the young woman.

She says Bandaogo “robbed” the victim’s families, a statement that prompted Bandaogo to momentarily bow his head.

The names of the murdered woman and her family are under a publication ban at the hearing, which began Wednesday and is scheduled to continue into Friday.

Bandaogo was expected to read a statement in French in court later Thursday.

Second-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, with a non-parole period of 10 to 25 years.

Six people were injured in the attack in and around the Lynn Valley Library. The victims ranged in age from 22 to 78.