An Oshawa teen who stabbed a fellow high school student to death during a fight in early 2018 has been sentenced to three years in custody after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

The sentence, which includes more than a year in secure custody, is the most stringent allowed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, Ontario Court Justice Susan Magotiaux said during a hearing at the Oshawa courthouse Wednesday.

“Your decision to bring a weapon to the fight cost this young man his life,” the judge told the teen, who was 16 when the fatal confrontation took place near Maxwell Heights Secondary School on Jan. 11, 2018.

The identities of the convicted youth, now 17, and the 17-year-old victim are protected under the youth act.

The youth, who had originally been charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in August. The three-year sentence endorsed by the judge was a joint proposal by lawyers for the Crown and defence.

Defence lawyer Tom Balka said the youth’s guilty plea is indicative of his remorse and acceptance of responsibility for his actions.

“It’s a terrible tragedy that occurred and we all feel that,” Balka said. “(The youth) shows a considerable amount of remorse. He indicates he feels horrible about what happened.”

The teen, who spent a significant amount of time in custody before being released on bail, was given credit for the equivalent of roughly 10 months of pretrial custody, leaving him about a year and a half left to serve. He’ll spend 412 days in secure custody, followed by 106 days in open custody, then will be under supervision in the community for an additional 259 days.

The judge also ordered that the teen undergo a psychological assessment.

Three years is the maximum amount of time in custody for manslaughter allowed under the legislation governing youthful offenders, Magotiaux noted.

During Wednesday’s hearing the judge heard how the killing has affected members of the slain teen’s family.

“I am always sad and my mind is always revolving around this,” the boy’s mother said in a victim impact statement that was read into the record.

“I can’t imagine how he was alone when he died,” the woman wrote. “Was he hurting? How long did he suffer?”

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In an emotional address, the victim’s older brother said courts need to impose sentences that will deter young people from resorting to deadly violence.

“Why was there a young person with a weapon at school?” the man asked. “Do they not understand what can happen when they wield a weapon?”