Defence continues arguments at sentencing hearing for UWaterloo stabber

The defence is set to continue its submissions at the sentencing hearing for a man who stabbed three people in a University of Waterloo gender studies class last year.

Geovanny Villalba-Aleman has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of assault causing bodily harm in the June 2023 attack.

Federal prosecutors have argued the offences amount to terrorism in this case because they were motivated by ideology and meant to intimidate the public, while provincial prosecutors told the court Thursday that the crimes were hate-motivated.

The provincial Crown cited Villalba-Aleman’s hateful remarks about feminists and members of the LGBTQ+ community among the aggravating factors the court must consider in the sentencing.

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Villalba-Aleman’s defence lawyer rejected the notion that the attack was driven by ideology and said the federal Crown has not proven beyond a reasonable doubt that terrorist activity took place in this case.

The defence is arguing that Villalba-Aleman was not motivated by hate toward a specific group, but by his belief that “left-wing thinking” stifled his freedom of speech.