Man who pleaded guilty to North Vancouver stabbings apologizes to victims, cites 'enormous' drug use

A man who fatally stabbed a woman and injured several other people outside a library in North Vancouver, B.C., two years ago apologized to his victims at a sentencing hearing on Friday. 

Yannick Bandaogo's lawyer said his client cannot explain a motive for the attack, but in his statement, the 30-year-old told the court of a troubled childhood that led him into drug use.

"I must end my drug consumption in my daily life completely,'' Bandaogo told the court in French. "I want nothing but to show the sincerity of my regret through my future actions.

"It is difficult to find the words or sentences that can help me explain myself,'' he said. "I cannot but express my sincere condolences to all the people impacted, near and far, in this tragedy ... and by my behaviour.''

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

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

Crown and defence lawyers have jointly proposed that Bandaogo receive a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years, but Justice Geoffrey Gaul may still decide on a different term.

Bandaogo was arrested at the scene of the stabbings at the Lynn Valley public library on the afternoon of March 27, 2021.

A woman in her late 20s, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was killed in the attacks.

Mother's letter

Bandaogo apologized to his own family, saying he verbally and physically abused his parents and did not accept their attempts to help him as he spiralled into addiction.

Bandaogo said he left Quebec thinking he would leave his troubled past behind. But travelling to Vancouver via Toronto and Winnipeg gave him ample access to crystal meth, which he consumed in "enormous'' amounts.

His drug habit, combined with his "loneliness and solitude'' during the pandemic years, partly explained his behaviour, he said.

Before Bandaogo spoke, the court heard a letter written in French by his mother. 

In it, she said she often thinks about the victims and how they have suffered from a tragedy that should never have happened. 

She said the system failed her son, who had a long history of mental health and drug problems but was denied help.   

His condition deteriorated, she said, and he left Quebec without telling his family, who lost touch with him for about a year.

She thinks if her requests for help had been heard, the attack wouldn't have happened and lives wouldn't have been forever altered.

She said she was not trying to provide an excuse for what happened, but wanted to give the victims additional context. 

Victims describe trauma from attack

The sentencing hearing at B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster this week had previously heard impact statements from victims and their relatives. 

They included the mother of the woman who was killed, who said the death of her "gentle'' and "fearless'' daughter had shattered the family.

The injured victims included a university student, a high school teacher and a single mother, ranging in age from 22 to 78 years old at the time.

Emma Henderson, who was stabbed in the face during the attack, said on Wednesday that she suffered a deviated septum among other severe injuries to her nose and mouth, and her constant pain and anxiety stemming from the incident still haunts her.

"I can't work," said Henderson, who was a university student at the time of the attack. "I couldn't do extracurriculars I was doing before. I couldn't finish school.

"I remember asking, 'What kind of monster would go around stabbing people in a library?' No one could give me an answer."

Another victim, Susanne Till, lost an eye in the attack and still suffers frequent headaches from the stabbing.

But Till told the court Wednesday what has been equally traumatizing has been the effect on her three children, one of whom was at the scene of the attack and rode in the ambulance with her to hospital while holding her blood-covered cellphone.

"I suffer from guilt and fear that I'm not protecting my children," Till said. "I worry about them. I feel that I failed to
protect them. The fear, anger and depression are all consuming my daily life."

Sentencing is due to take place on Aug. 31.