Brantford, Ontario – A man originally from Sault Ste. Marie, now with ten assaults on women, has been declared a long-term offender during his recent sentencing in a Toronto court. Brendan Bananish, 37, stabbed the mother of four of his children multiple times in a Toronto motel room in 2020, leaving her to bleed out.
It took the woman 12 hours to reach a hallway where she was discovered and taken to the hospital. She endured a 21-day hospital stay with multiple injuries, including 11 knife wounds, two spinal fractures, and a chest blood vessel injury. Justice Andrew Pinto emphasized the escalating violence and brutality of Bananish’s actions in 2019 and 2020.
Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Bananish relocated to Brantford as a teenager and developed a troublesome history of assault charges and order breaches. In 2019, police found an illegally altered semi-automatic rifle in his possession after a violent altercation with his partner. Justice Colette Good sentenced him to 15 months for the firearm, noting his threat to harm police.
Released from custody in October 2020, Bananish ignored orders to stay away from his victim and moved in with her in Sault Ste. Marie. A tragic incident unfolded in a Toronto hotel room where he believed the woman had harmed his children, leading to a violent stabbing. Despite injuring her, Bananish callously left her bleeding and was later apprehended in Brantford.
Various assessments revealed potential mental health conditions, including schizophrenia and delusional disorder, in Bananish. With a history of criminal convictions and assaults on intimate partners, the Crown prosecutor urged for a long-term offender designation, resulting in a seven-year, three-month sentence with extended supervision.
The judge’s decision ensures that Bananish will spend an additional 24 months in federal prison after having served 63 months in custody. The long-term offender label will remain for eight years, reflecting the severity of his actions and the need for ongoing supervision to protect the community.