A young Montreal man who stabbed his abusive, alcoholic father to death during an altercation at the family home last year has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
“He was the youngest and perhaps the most neglected and vulnerable in the family. He never had love or joy from his father,” concluded Me Eric Sutton, Farhan Shoaib’s lawyer.
The youth, now 22, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Montreal courthouse on Thursday morning. He was initially charged with premeditated murder.
On June 23, 2022, his father, Ahmad Shoaib, was working at his Indian pub on Saint-Denis Street in Montreal. At around 3 a.m. his wife and one of his sons picked him up in the car.
According to family members, Ahmad Shoaib was “drunk and angry” at the time. Once in the car, he became “physically and verbally aggressive” toward his older son. He also threatened to kill him, we can read in the joint statement of facts.
Her son, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, had enough and left the vehicle.
Ahmad Shoaib then decided to drive his wife to their house on Boulevard Côte-Vertu in the Saint-Laurent district, “even though he looked very drunk.”
When he finally entered his house, he lashed out at Farhan, calling him a “bad person” and adding that he would call the police to evict everyone from his house.
The defendant then retrieved a knife from his room, which he kept “because he was afraid of his father because of his threatening and belligerent behavior.”
“The victim pushed the defendant, who responded by stabbing the victim three times in the stomach,” the document states.
Farhan Shoaib then called 911. As soon as the police arrived, he admitted the matter.
At the time of his death, Ahmad Shoaib had a blood alcohol level of 144 mg/100 ml, almost twice the legal limit.
History of violence
The Shoaib family lived in fear for several years due to Ahmad Shoaib’s actions. Since September 2017, no fewer than ten emergency calls have been made by various family members due to the father’s behavior.
His children described him as a “belligerent alcoholic who was constantly verbally and physically abusive to family members.”
In touching and difficult letters read at the hearing, they pledged their full support to Farhan Shoaib.
His brother, in turn, mentioned that he could not clearly define who was the victim and the executioner of this tragedy. However, he made it clear that “his life has changed for the better since his father died.”
“I love my brother, I want him to see the world, the real world […]where there is love and wonder,” one of her sisters continued.
Her mother made a point of telling her that she had already tried to get out of her relationship with her father and urged her to make better decisions than she did and not be afraid to ask for help.
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.