WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg couple who tortured and killed dozens of cats and other small animals for an online paying audience was sentenced to 12 years in prison Wednesday.

Crown and defence lawyers jointly recommended the sentence for Irene Lima and Chad Kabecz in a case that prompted massive public outrage.

“The depravity is stunning,” said King’s Bench Justice Jeffrey Harris, who banned both offenders from possessing animals for life. “In over 40 years as a lawyer and judge, I have not seen any facts come close to this … I cannot begin to conceive of the suffering of these defenceless animals as you tortured them to death for your own deviant sexual pleasure and profit.”

Lima, 56, crushed the animals to death with her bare feet, while 41-year-old Kabecz recorded the killings, videos of which were shared with paying customers via a chat group where Lima was known as “Goddess May.”

WINNIPEG — A former truck driver who was responsible for a fatal highway crash that killed a 34-year-old father will not go to jail.

Instead, in a decision released last week, King’s Bench Justice Shane Perlmutter ruled that Sukhbir Singh, 34, be sentenced to two years of house arrest for the February 2020 collision.

“There is no doubt … that Mr. Singh is deterred by his conduct and the risk of reoffending remains very low,” Perlmutter said as he rejected the Crown’s recommendation to sentence Singh to 18 months in jail.

“In my view … it would not be in the long-term interests of society at large to take Mr. Singh — who Crown counsel concedes is an exemplary member of society — and incarcerate him,” Perlmutter said, noting there is a “strong likelihood” Singh will be deported to India upon completing his sentence.

Rural school divisions in western Manitoba will receive provincial funding increases for the 2026-27 school year ranging from below one per cent to almost three per cent:

• Beautiful Plains School Division will receive a 1.9 per cent increase for a total of $18.39 million.

• Fort La Bosse School Division’s funding will increase by 1.5 per cent for a total of $10.6 million.

• Mountain View School Division in Dauphin will increase by 0.7 per cent to $28.3 million.

SELKIRK — Braden Calvert can finally zip up a buffalo jacket and say he’s going to the Brier.

The 30-year-old skip from Carberry got over the hump Sunday evening inside the Selkirk Recreation Complex after suffering heartbreaking losses in the previous two provincial finals.

Calvert raised his right arm in the air before joining his teammates for a celebratory embrace after executing a raise takeout for three to prevail 10-7 in an extra end over Jordon McDonald, claiming Manitoba men’s curling crown.

“I’m still in shock right now. It’s unbelievable,” said Calvert.

Truck driver facing deportation

CALGARY — A lawyer for the truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash says his client is one step closer to being deported to India.

Lawyer Michael Greene says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has rejected a request for Jaskirat Singh Sidhu to stay in the country as a refugee.

Greene says that decision means the Canada Border Services Agency is now under a legal obligation to remove Sidhu from Canada as soon as possible.