'Screen cutter' Richard Arsenault sentenced to 9 years in prison

The man who cut window screens to break into homes, and traumatized families in Charlottetown, Stratford and Cornwall, was sentenced Wednesday to nine years in a federal penitentiary.

Richard Joseph Arsenault, 39, had pleaded guilty to five of the 17 chargesconnected torobberies and break-ins over the past two years. Those charges included break-and-enters, wearing a mask, and possession of break-in tools.

The remaining charges have been stayed.

• 'Screen cutter' trial: Homeowner saw 'something go by' the night he was robbed
• Richard Joseph Arsenault: A timeline of the 'screen cutter' alleged offenses

He also pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of possession of the proceeds of crime.

Arsenault's wife, Courtney Christine Arsenault, hadalso been charged with possession of proceeds of crime. The Crown granted a stay on that charge Wednesday.

"There's a long standing tradition in common law that a 'man's home is his castle'," said Crown prosecutor Valerie Moore. "This sentence reflects the seriousness of breaking into people's homes. It'straumatizing for victims."

'I ask your forgiveness'

Arsenault had originally pleaded not guilty to all charges.He changed his plea to guilty on five counts partway through his trial.

"I'm not good with words, but I see and feel all the pain I caused," Arsenault told the court. "If someone came into my home, I would be angry."

"I ask your forgiveness," he continued. "I am not just sitting in jail. I am working hard to be a better person. I want to come back someday."

'Planned and premeditated'

Judge Nancy Orr said Arsenault was receiving one of the longer sentences for the charges.

"It was planned and pre-meditated," she said in court. "You created angst, high-anxiety, terror. You ask forgiveness. It's not that simple. You have to earn it."

Police also seized thousands of dollars in cash from Arsenault's home, some of it in hundred-dollar bills, found under a mattress. Orr ordered the forfeiture of that money, and for the homeowners he robbed to be repaid.

At sentencing Wednesday, new information on the source of that some of that cash was presented in court.

"Arsenault says he stole it from a drug dealer in New Brunswick," Moore told court, reading from a prepared statement of facts.

She also ordered a DNA sample to be taken from Arsenault for the national database.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | P.E.I. NDP leader calls for farm tax credit for food donations
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |'We shop for our pets like we shop for our kids': Christmas shopping for cats and dogs