The mother of an accused murderer stabbed a man in the face after he refused to fight her to the death, territorial court heard last Thursday.

Jessie Mary Asp may have slashed open the face of Randall Tom because of her hatred toward men, Crown prosecutor Tony Brown told Judge John Faulkner.

It's more likely that it was a reaction to an incredibly troubling year, Brown said.

In February 2004, Asp's daughter, Christina, 26, was charged with second-degree murder after the stabbing death of Christina's 28-year-old boyfriend, Keith Richard Blanchard.

A few weeks later, Asp's other daughter, Becky, went missing while taking a walk along the Yukon River.

Months later, on May 10, 2004, a family boating along the river found the 18-year-old's body.

RCMP ruled that Becky's death was likely accidental.

'I cannot be sure of what mental demons you are facing,' Faulkner told the 44-year-old, who is one of the last surviving members of her family.

Asp's parents and at least one of her children are deceased.

'It appears she wanted to take it out on somebody,' said Brown.

On May 30, 2004, within weeks of Becky's body being found, Asp was arrested for the assault on Tom.

That night, she and some friends had been drinking in Whitehorse and decided to take a limousine to Carmacks to Angela Johnnie's home, where the drinking continued.

Tom, a friend and neighbour of Johnnie's, wanted to see why there was a limousine at the house.

The 39-year-old victim joined the party only to be confronted by an inebriated Asp, whom he didn't know, the court heard.

'Mr. Tom was basically a stranger who happened to be in the same house as Ms. Asp,' said Brown.

Asp wanted Tom to agree to a fight to the death, which he refused, so she punched him in the arm several times.

Tom still refused to fight her so she went into the kitchen, took a knife out of the sink and tucked it into the waistband of her pants.

Witnesses said Asp wanted Tom to sign a contract saying he would fight her. Asp told friends she didn't care what happened to her, because if she died, she could be with Becky. Brown described Asp's attitude as self-destructive.

Asp snuck up behind Tom and swung at him twice with the knife. The first time, she missed. The second time, made contact with his face, cutting Tom from his jaw to above his lip.

'It was a very large, nasty cut,' Faulkner said after looking at photos of the injury.

'Mr. Tom did nothing to provoke the assault; he was just sitting there, minding his own business, when he was attacked from behind.'

One of the people at the party ran across the street and called an ambulance, but in the interim, Tom lost a significant amount of blood. He ended up spending several days in the hospital as a result.

Asp told witnesses they didn't know her and never saw anything. She was arrested and charged with aggravated assault.

Tom now has a large scar, and people are continually asking him what happened to his face.

'The trauma he suffered will last him the rest of his life,' said Brown.

The attack could have been fatal had Asp hit an eye or an artery in the neck, Brown added.

'There was no accuracy. She could have hit anywhere else,' said Brown. 'She just swung the knife at him.'

Faulkner noted that Asp's attack was somewhat premeditated, as she left the room, got a knife and returned for the attack.

Originally, the Crown had asked that Asp be given an eight-month sentence, but Brown felt that 12 months would be more appropriate.

Brown said that Asp has a lot of anger toward men in general.

'He (Tom) suffered for being a man,' said Brown, adding Asp should spend time behind bars to protect men who might find themselves in her company.

In a statement to the court, Asp said: 'I feel sorry for the guy. I'm sorry this whole thing happened. I don't want someone to do that to me.'

The court heard that Asp's actions were 'almost murder.'

Faulkner said he heard no evidence that proved Asp had a problem with men.

'For reasons that will forever remain obscure, she wanted to take her frustrations out on somebody,' said Faulkner.

'What happened here is all too common in this jurisdiction. Alcohol and weapons are a very bad mix and the combination of the two can be fatal.'

Instead of going to the Whitehorse Correctional Centre though, Asp will get to serve her sentence from home in the form of a conditional sentence.

As part of that sentence, Asp will have to abide by a 7 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew and serve 100 hours' community service.

Asp will have to attend psychological counselling twice a month for six months.

She also is not allowed to go within five kilometres of Carmacks without permission, nor is she allowed to have any contact with the victim.

She must abstain absolutely from alcohol and drugs.

Following her conditional sentence, Asp will have to serve an 18-month probationary sentence where she will follow similar conditions.

According to a pre-sentence report, Asp has a 40-per-cent chance of reoffending, which is why Brown argued that a conditional sentence would not be appropriate.

Faulkner noted that, although Asp has the potential to become violent and dangerous when under the influence of alcohol, she has done well abiding by the rules imposed on her while out on bail awaiting her sentence, cutting down on her drinking significantly.

The judge also said her being in the community would help her heal.

Asp has a criminal record dating back to 1996. She has been convicted of three impaired driving offences and a previous spousal assault.

The Kwanlin Dun First Nation woman only had a Grade 6 education but eventually attended Yukon College and completed the native teaching certificate.

The maximum sentence that can be imposed for aggravated assault is 14 years.