Edmonton judge declares Teskey dangerous offender

A man convicted of 34 crimes – the latest a savage beating that left a man unable to walk, talk or sit up – has been declared a dangerous offender and will stay in jail indefinitely.

An Edmonton judge handed down his ruling Monday in the case of Leo Teskey, 35, saying it appears impossible to stop his violent behaviour through treatment programs.

Provincial court Judge Brad Kerby called Teskey is "a dangerous criminal" whose violent crimes were "the epitome of brutality."

He also sentenced Teskey to 14 years in prison for a crime that shocked Alberta more than four years ago, though he could stay behind bars much longer than that unless his mental state changes considerably.

Teskey plans to appeal, his lawyer said.

Victim left permanently disabled

In November 2000, 61-year-old Dougald Miller found Teskey sleeping in the hallway of an apartment building he managed and tried to escort him out. Teskey beat him savagely, then robbed his apartment and stole his car.

Miller's skull, nose and jaw were broken and his ear had to be reattached. He was left brain damaged and remains permanently paralyzed from the neck down, unable to speak, stand or feed himself.

Miller, who turns 66 next week, has lived in a nursing home since he was beaten. Caregivers wheeled him into the Edmonton courtroom on a gurney Monday to attend Teskey's sentencing.

"The man I married is gone; he died that day," Miller's wife, Lesley Miller, said before the sentencing. "Teskey murdered my husband that day."

She later expressed satisfaction with the dangerous offender ruling.

"I hope that he lives to be a very old, old man in prison," she said, "and I hope he thinks of us every single day, and hope he thinks of who put him there."

Teskey apologized to the Millers in a written statement presented in court. "Words cannot adequately express my profound sorrow," he wrote, adding that he prays for the couple every day.

Crown's application led to indefinite prison term

Teskey was convicted of aggravated assault in 2002 over his beating of Miller and has been in custody while waiting to be sentenced.

The Crown applied to have him declared a dangerous offender, which would allow for an indefinite sentence and additional conditions placed on any release. The designation is applied when normal sentencing isn't considered harsh enough.

An average of 24 dangerous offenders are admitted to prison each year, according to Corrections Canada.

During a dangerous offender hearing last year, the judge was told that Teskey is a psychopath with an antisocial personality disorder and is a high risk to reoffend. He has 34 convictions, including assaulting a two-year-old boy and shooting a police officer in the head.

Before the 2000 attack on Miller, the Crown had asked an Alberta judge to declare Teskey a dangerous offender. The judge refused, however.