Family crushed by light sentence after vicious Calgary train attack left woman disabled for life

On Wednesday Calgarian Stephenie Favel was sentenced to four-and-a-half years imprisonment for an unprovoked attack on a 64-year-old Calgary woman, resulting in a major spinal cord injury.

Favel had without warning pushed Rozalia Meichl onto the Victoria Park CTrain tracks which cased the major spinal cord damage that has rendered Meichl paraplegic.

With time served in prison and other factors involved in the sentencing, Favel is only expected to serve 41 months in prison, just under three and a half years. This is with an added charge of breach of probation taken into account.

Crown Prosecutor Doug Taylor had been looking for a five-year sentence for random assault, while the defence had been advocating for the three and a half years sentence.

Part of the leniency seems to come from the judge’s consideration of Favel’s childhood, and the difficulties she had growing up as an indigenous teenager.

Defence lawyer Adriano Iovanelli had actively used this appeal during the case stating at one point, “It was a horrible upbringing, she had a very, very difficult childhood resulting in losing both sisters… she takes full responsibility”, going on to say “It was a horrible upbringing, she had a very, very difficult childhood resulting in losing both sisters… she takes full responsibility” in an open appeal for the lighter sentence that was given.

Judge Harry Van Harten had said the act “resulted in true tragedy to the victim” and that is was an “unhappy day in this court” that he had to sentence the perpetrator to a lengthy sentence which could not bring back the health of the victim.

The daughter of Rozalia Meichl, Charmaine Newman, had broken down into tears when the sentence was read out and later told reporters outside the courtroom that she didn’t think the sentence goes far enough.

Newman said that her mother had been dealing well emotionally with the tragedy, as well as with the verdict, and that the family is focused on getting passed the incident.