Man who killed would-be mail thief gets five years in Calgary court

Fatally stabbing a would-be mail thief who was trying to jimmy his postal box with a knife has landed a Calgary man a five-year prison term.

Justice Suzanne Bensler Monday agreed with defence lawyers Greg Dunn and Tyson Dahlem that a sentence less than the six- to eight-year punishment sought by the Crown was justified.

Dunn and Dahlem had suggested a four- to five-year term for [The Accused].

[The Accused] earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the Aug. 27, 2010 stabbing death of Ahmed Mahmud Mohammad.

Bensler said combining the aggravating and mitigating circumstances in the case as five-year term was fit.

[The Accused] admitted knifing Mohammad once in the torso during a struggle in the entry way of the confessed killer’s 21 Ave. S.W. apartment building.

At an earlier appearance, Chief Crown prosecutor Lloyd Robertson detailed the deadly attack.

Reading from a statement of agreed facts, Robertson told Bensler of the events which led up to the stabbing.

Robertson said Mohammed had gone to the building and demanded another tenant let him in to go to Mohamed’s suite.

Mohammed eventually was let in and went to Mohamed’s door.

He then told the convicted killer he was there to pick up some mail for a mutual friend, Ahmed Daar, and demanded he be given access to the postal box, Robertson said.

When Mohamed refused, Mohammad grabbed a knife and went down to the main level where the mail boxes were located.

Mohamed grabbed his own weapon, a chef’s knife with an 18 cm serrated blade, and followed.

“The intention of the accused in taking the knife was to intimidate the deceased and prevent the mail box from being entered,” Robertson said.

Once he arrived in the foyer, Mohamed saw Mohammad trying to pry open the mail box with his knife and an argument ensued.

“During the course of the fight, the accused stabbed the deceased,” Robertson said.

Bensler said it was aggravating Mohamed grabbed such a large weapon to intimidate the deceased, but noted he immediately called 911 afterwards, indicating he didn't intend to kill the victim.