EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been edited to remove certain details that may identify a victim of intimate partner violence.
Sobbing uncontrollably, Graham Sean St. Pierre admitted he set fire last summer to the home of a woman he loved — and he still loves, he told a judge.
Appearing by video from jail, the 50-year-old pleaded guilty to two arson-related offences stemming from the August incident that caused a substantial amount of damage to the woman's west-end house.
He also was convicted of mischief when he appeared in court on May 17, for slashing the brand new tires on her truck.
The couple had been in a relationship for about five months, Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek heard.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 16, St. Pierre caused $1,000 worth of damage to her vehicle and a trailer.
He broke into her house, piled toilet paper on top of the stove and turned the burners on, prosecutor Andrew Allen said.
St. Pierre called and texted her 13 times, leaving messages such as: "Have fun getting to work, f--- you."
The accused also pleaded guilty to breaching his release order on Jan. 15 by contacting the woman and threatening to harm her and a friend.
He "came from behind a building across the street, yelling he would kill both of them," the assistant Crown attorney said.
When he was arrested, police found he had a lighter — a violation of a condition that prohibited him from possessing incendiary devices.
In a highly emotional victim impact statement, which she read to the court, the woman described how her life had changed forever on the night she received a phone call from a neighbour that her house was on fire.
It felt like a bad dream and when the cops told her they had charged St. Pierre. "I couldn't understand how he could do this."
The woman indicated that she has been able to move back into her home, but the repairs are not 100 per cent complete.
The Crown and defence lawyer Tahnee Caraballo jointly proposed a jail sentence of 19 months, less credit for the time St. Pierre has already spent in custody, plus two years probation.
Where they disagree is on the question of restitution.
Noting the actual estimate to repair the house is ongoing, Allen argued the court should impose a $250,000 stand-alone restitution order.
Nineteen months is at the low end of the range for break and enter, arson and threats involving a domestic partner, he said.
"To make the sentence fit, substantial restitution should be part of it."
Caraballo said her client has taken responsibility for his actions, pointing out that nobody was injured.
"His life has been affected by significant alcohol abuse," she told Kwolek.
Prior to this incident, he was a devoted family man, actively involved with his grandchildren, "grappling with a decades-long battle with alcohol."
St. Pierre, who has a dated record — including a 2005 conviction related to partner violence — has completed a number of programs, including anger management and substance, while in jail, Caraballo said.
He has endured hardship in custody, which "has strengthened his resolve to rebuild his life."
She called the suggested restitution unrealistic because St. Pierre doesn't have the financial ability to pay it.
"He doesn't need $250,000 looming over him .....he won't be able to focus on his rehabilitation."
St. Pierre does have a reasonable job prospect, but has to wait and see if it comes to fruition, the defence said, asking for a lesser amount of restitution.
"I don't want restitution, he's suffered enough," the victim told Kwolek, adding she just wants $720 for her truck tires.
When asked if he had anything to say, St. Pierre responded: "I loved that woman and I still do."
He told the court: "I'm so so sorry ... I'll be sorry forever. I mean it."
Kwolek will give his decision on June 26.