Women jailed for vendetta attack

Significant sentences have been issued to three women for a December 2016 confinement and “vendatta-based” attack on a woman.

Mandi Lee Zacharuk, 30, was sentenced to a further 575 days in jail, while both Terilyn Rose Haskell, 29, and Celia Anne Robinson, 35, must serve a further 545 days for the attack. The terms were issued Sept. 4.

In March, Ollie James Henyu, 36, was sentenced to time served of 368 days in custody for attempting to prevent the victim from telling her story to police.

During that sentencing hearing, the court heard the victim had shown up at a 1700-block Pearson Avenue home to buy crack cocaine and was recognized as the perpetrator of a kidnapping of one of the other women in the home.

After the victim had smoked the cocaine, four women turned on her to settle the score.

Despite her claim that she was only a bystander to the kidnapping, she was repeatedly punched and kicked while the music was turned up to drown out her screams.

Then she was dragged into the bathroom, put in the bathtub and told she might be killed.

One of the attackers then brought a sawed-off shotgun into the bathroom, told the victim it was loaded and she was going to pull the trigger.

She placed the barrel in the victim’s mouth, then struck her in the head with the gun while the others continued to hit her.

Her mouth was then ducttaped after a rag was put in to keep her quiet and Henyu, whose relation to the others was not made clear during the hearing, was called for advice on next steps. Henyu arrived at the home shortly after and told the woman to tell police she had been jumped by two men on the street and if she gave the real story, she would be killed.

The top portion of the victim’s hair was then cut off and her cellphone taken before she was let go.

She went to a neighbouring home where an ambulance was called and she was taken to hospital.

The victim suffered a concussion, a broken nose, several cuts and a burn to her chest consistent with being singed with a cigarette.

When RCMP arrived at the hospital, she initially told the story Henyu had ordered her to tell. But she then said she had been assaulted at a home but was afraid to provide any further details for fear she would be attacked again.

But RCMP found a piece of paper with the home’s address on her and, after she was released from hospital, the victim provided two further statements.

The four were arrested at the home and evidence consistent with the story police had been given was collected.

Henyu, meanwhile, was apprehended a few days later.