A Whitehorse man has been sentenced to two years in jail and three years' probation after stabbing another man 11 times with what the judge called "sudden and murderous fury.”

John Kyle Silas, 28, stood trial in October 2011 on a charge of aggravated assault but changed his plea to guilty after the victim, Lorne Jules, had testified.

On Nov. 20, 2010, Silas, who had recently been released from jail, was living at the Adult Resource Centre in Hillcrest as a part of his probation.

According to court documents, Silas had received a pass to go to Pelly Crossing to visit family members but instead went on a drinking spree.

That day, Silas and Jules were passengers in a car driven by a third friend —Jules in the front seat and Silas in the back. The two began fighting, and Jules hit Silas.

"The defendant's response was to attack Mr. Jules with a knife, rapidly inflicting some 11 stab wounds to Mr. Jules' head, neck, upper body and arms,” territorial court judge John Faulkner said in his decision, made public today.

"No real explanation has ever been forthcoming for this potentially lethal attack on Mr. Jules.”

After securing his release on bail, Silas was charged with three counts of breaching the terms of his release in June and July 2011.

In making his decision, the judge noted that Silas has a long criminal record, including many other convictions for assaults.

"The circumstances of this case show that he was prepared to retaliate for a very minor affront by taking up a knife and attacking his unsuspecting and defenceless victim with sudden and murderous fury,” Faulkner said.

The Crown had asked the judge to impose a sentence of three years and two months in a federal penitentiary, while defence lawyers suggested two years in jail plus a lengthy probationary period.

The judge said he chose the shorter jail sentence because it would enable him to order probation, something that cannot be added to a penitentiary sentence.

"The primary advantage to accepting the defence position is that the overall length of sentence, combining the custodial and probationary portions, could be as much as five years less a day,” he said.

The Crown had argued that, given Silas' criminal record, which includes many bail and probation breaches, putting him on probation would be pointless.

"The court is not so naive as to think that Mr. Silas, despite his protests to the contrary, is now prepared, or even fully able, to comply with a probation order,” the judge said.

"Nonetheless, imposing a probation order does provide a significant means of control over his whereabouts and activities, and ultimately a means of bringing Mr. Silas back before the court should there be breaches.”

Aside from the three years' probation, Silas is also prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm for the rest of his life.