Man who kidnapped, tortured Richard Suter to be sentenced in August

The man responsible for the Edmonton patio crash that killed two-year-old Geo Mounsefsaid he lost his will to live after his thumb was cut off in what he believes wasan act of vigilante justice.

Richard Suter was kidnapped from his homein January 2015, Hewas handcuffed and driven to a remote location where his thumbwas cut off with a pair of pruning shears..

StevenVollrath, 33, was found guilty ofkidnapping and torture in the incident. He will be sentenced Aug. 15.

In a victim impact statement given to the court Friday, Suter wrote about the emotional toll of the attack.

"It was meant to terrify me and it did," Suter wrote.

"How could you Mr.Vollrathstoop to this level of cruelty? Since the abduction,my wife and I are in psychiatric treatment for post-traumatic disorder and depression."

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Suterwasconvicted for refusing to provide a breath sample after a May 2013 crash that claimed the life ofMounsef. He said he believes the subsequent January 2015 attack was an act of vigilante revenge.

"There is no place in our society for this kind of response,"Suter wrote. "It has left my family in a state of hypervigilance bordering on paranoia."

In her victim impact statement, Suter's wife said she and her husband will forever wonder what Vollrath received in return for the attack.

"We will never know if you were paid, forgiven a debt or even forced to commit these acts against Rick Suter...your accomplices in crime remain at large," Gayska Suter wrote.

Since the attack on her husband, Suterhas been under the constant care of a psychiatrist "to keep me from committing suicide," she said.

"My family will never be the same," she wrote. Suter said her adult son is afraid to spend time with them out of fear that his family "will be the object of further vigilantism."

Crime described as home invasion kidnapping

Crown prosecutor James Stewart called forVollrath to serve at least a 15-year sentence.

"The violence delivered to Mr. Suter is terrible and lasting," he said.

He described the crime as a home invasion kidnapping and characterized Vollrath as a "career criminal" who has shown no remorse.

In response, Vollrath's lawyer told Judge Elizabeth Johnson:"He denies guilt. You will hear no remorse here because he claims he is the victim of mistaken identity."

Defence lawyer Paul Moreau urged the judge to hand down a sentence in the range of five to eight years.

Neither Richard orGayska Suter were in the courtroom Friday. It's unlikely they will be present for Vollrath's sentencing.

"Believe me when I say we have suffered more than enough," Gayska Suterwrote.