Man sentenced to life in prison for North Vancouver stabbings that left 1 dead, 6 injured

A man who fatally stabbed a woman and injured six other people outside a library in North Vancouver, B.C., two years ago was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.

Yannick Bandaogo, 30, had 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.

"The monstrous actions of this man have destroyed the lives of many people," Justice Geoffrey Gaul told the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster during sentencing, which was delivered in French.

During a July court proceeding, Bandaogo apologized to victims and told the court of a troubled childhood that led him into drug use.

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

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

Crown and defence lawyers jointly proposed that Bandaogo receive a sentence of life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.

Victim pain and anxiety

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. Her mother said the death of her "gentle'' and "fearless'' daughter had shattered her 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.

Several victims told the court that they were in constant pain and anxiety due to the unprovoked attack.