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‘This was absolutely horrible and I’m incredibly remorseful,” the woman, looking visibly pained and sounding shaky but articulate, said in court moments before Justice Gerald Allbright accepted the joint sentencing submission.

She also apologized to her two sons, saying “it had nothing to do with them.” Moments after court proceedings ended, was was taken away in handcuffs with family members calling out tearful goodbyes.

The boys’ father, who was at the house that night attempting to pick up his sons, said in a statement that he has “been in constant fear for three years,” adding that his son told him that he was “really scared to be by myself, ever.” In a statement, the youngest son said he “was scared and couldn’t go to the bathroom by myself.”

The youngest brother also suffers from anxiety at the end of school days, worried that his mother — who had been out on bail — would show up at school, court heard.

The boys’ father said his youngest son’s neck was uncomfortable for months and that he couldn’t speak for a long time after the attack. He also had a major stomach wound as a result of the stabbing.

Each of the victim impact statements were read by the Crown. The father and two boys were not in court.

Court on Monday heard that a psychiatric assessment showed the woman suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and may have been experiencing a “dissociative episode” at the time.

The Crown said the incident was at the high end of the aggravated assault spectrum because of the “extremely serious wounds” and the fact the victim was vulnerable and couldn’t defend himself.

The defence said the woman can’t explain her actions but knows that normal people don’t do these types of things.

“Trying to make sense of the senseless,” said the defence.