Quebec man gets life for killing unborn child

A Montreal man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his unborn baby to death will spend at least 15 years in prison before he's eligible for parole.

Sofiane Ghazi received his sentence today at the Montreal courthouse.

The 40-year-old Ghazi pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated assault on his former wife in September 2019, just two days into his jury trial.

Two weeks after that, Ghazi tried to withdraw the pleas but the court rejected that request in a decision rendered in March.

Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence but it was up to Justice Jean-Claude Buffoni to decide how many years Ghazi would serve before being eligible for parole.

In a joint statement of facts, the court heard that in July 2017, Ghazi used a carving fork to stab his wife 19 times — 12 on the left side of her stomach and seven in her left thigh.

Nine wounds were inflicted on the baby in the womb and observed on the newborn after his birth.

The baby had a heartbeat for several minutes before succumbing to his injuries.