By Keith Lacey
A young pregnant mother of three found guilty of attacking a man in a drunken brawl outside a hotel was given a nine-month conditional sentence to be served under house arrest Thursday.
Mandy Steinburg, 24, was found guilty in February by a jury of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and assault for an incident June 4, 2000 at a hotel in Warren.
Steinburg and her husband got into a verbal dispute with two men. The accused was found guilty of slapping one man in the face. The dispute continued outside the establishment and ?an innocent bystander? trying to break up a fight between the accused?s husband and another man was slashed with a broken beer bottle three times.
Justice John Poupore made it clear from the beginning of Thursday?s sentencing hearing he was not going to impose a jail sentence against Steinburg, the mother of three young children who is expecting her fourth child in early September.
After scolding the accused for her behaviour, Poupore said a pre-sentence report clearly indicates she is remorseful for her actions, she?s a good mother and is not a danger to reoffend.
Steinburg has since remarried and is moving away from the Sudbury area very soon.
?There should be strict house arrest in this case? and the sentence should be for one year, said assistant Crown attorney Guy Roy.
A broken beer bottle is a dangerous weapon which can cause serious harm and even death. The victim suffered one serious laceration to his right forearm and two less serious cuts, said Roy.
The victim missed work for three months, suffers ill effects to his arm when the weather turns cold and will continue to suffer pain for many years to come, he said.
?The public must realize that if you use a beer bottle as a weapon there will be serious consequences,? he said.
Imposing a conditional sentence with only a curfew amounts to little or no punishment, said Roy.
?There was no provocation or justification for this assault,? said Poupore. ?This was strictly alcohol induced and there was no need for it at all.?
Aggravated assaults involving serious violence must be punished seriously, even against first-time offenders, said Poupore.
In all the circumstances, a conditional sentence of nine months with serious restrictions on this accused?s freedom is appropriate, said Poupore.
For the first six months, Steinburg is to be under around-the-clock house arrest, except to attend to medical and religious appointments or to attend appoinments with her children, he said. For the final three months, Steinburg must adhere to a nightly curfew between 9 pm and 6 am.
Poupore also ordered her to abstain from alcohol for the entire nine-month sentence and seek any counselling for alcohol abuse her probation officer might recommend.
