Threat to harm neighbour nets woman suspended sentence

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on June 27, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

Ouweleo Gnebehi didn’t seem to care that two police officers were only a few feet away from her when she threatened to brutally injure her neighbour.

Gnebehi and her neighbour had gotten into a verbal and physical dispute one afternoon late last year, during which police were called to intervene.

“All of it appeared to be over one person being wokened up when they were in a very significant state of recovery from over-indulgence, and that’s where things took a turn,” Crown Prosecutor Clayton Giles said last week during a hearing in Lethbridge court of justice.

Giles said it’s unclear who was the aggressor in the dispute, but Gnebehi continued to threaten the other woman, despite police presence, and said she would damage her car and assault her.

“Even though the police continued to try to tell her that she needed to calm down, she continued to shout even in the presence of authorities, over and over and over again.”

At one point she had a knife, and while she did not commit an offence with it, her actions increased the complainant’s fear. And she did threaten the woman.

Gnebehi picked up a glass that was sitting on a table, and actually yelled at the police, “I”m looking you both in the eyes and telling you I’m going to f–k that b–tch up, I’m gonna f–k up her life.”

Giles, who noted Gnebehi does not have a criminal record and currently lives in B.C., recommended she be given a suspended sentence and 12 months probation, with several conditions.

“The conditions we’ve got in place hopefully are going to be able to drive home to Miss Gnebehi that she does need to scale down her emotions, particularly when the authorities are there. That’s a good clue when to try to keep it together a bit better than she was able to on that night.”

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