By paNOW

Inmate sentenced for penitentiary shower stabbing

Dec 13, 2017 | 6:00 PM

A federal inmate was handed 18 months this afternoon for his role in a brutal and violent stabbing in the showers of the Saskatchewan Penitentiary.

Aaron Machiskinic, 32, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a weapon in connection with the March 11 stabbing of two men in the penitentiary’s maximum-security unit. Crown prosecutor Linh Le said Machiskinic and a second inmate, Nathan Ortynsky, followed an inmate into the shower cell and attacked him while he was naked and vulnerable.

The victim was stabbed multiple times and slashed across the throat, Le said. The pair used two metal spikes during the assault, she said, along with a razor blade which was melted into a plastic handle to form an improvised knife.

A fourth inmate heard the commotion and entered the shower to intervene, Le said, but he was stabbed twice and pushed out of the shower cell by Machiskinic and Ortynsky. Security footage showed the first victim emerged from the shower cell naked and bleeding soon after, she said, and the four squared off in the hallway until guards arrived.

The first victim was left with more than 10 puncture wounds to his chest and abdominal area, Le said, and required surgery. The second victim’s stab wounds were not life-threatening.

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At the time of the assault, Le said Machiskinic was serving a multi-year sentence for aggravated assault and possession of property obtained through crime.

Defence lawyer Rebecca Crookshanks said Machiskinic was highly remorseful for the attack. There were issues between the inmates involved before the fight occurred, she said, and the institutional setting meant they did not have the option to walk away.

Machiskinic was sentenced to 18 months in custody by Judge Robert Lane, which will begin after his current sentence expires. He was also handed a lifetime ban on owning firearms or ammunition, and will be required to submit DNA samples to a database.

Ortynsky previously pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault, court heard, and was handed a two-year sentence consecutive to his current prison term. Ortynsky admitted to being the primary attacker of the first victim, which led to the more severe sentence.

Machiskinic, who appeared in court over a video link from the penitentiary, spoke only once during his appearance. At the end of the sentencing, when Lane wished him good luck in the future, the inmate responded with a simple “thanks.”

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews