Woman sentenced for taking part in armed robbery

A Brandon woman was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Monday for her part in a violent armed robbery that left a man with severe injuries.

“You were involved and participated in this incident, and it resulted in serious injuries to your friend,” Judge Patrick Sullivan said.

“I hope that sits heavily with you. I hope there’s shame attached to that,” he said.

Tiah McKay-Catcheway, 27, pleaded guilty to the charge of robbery in Brandon provincial court.

Crown attorney Ron Toews outlined the details behind the charge.

On the morning of March 6, the Brandon Police Service received a report that a group of people had “rushed” into a room at the Midway Hotel.

“The report indicated that there had been knives and machetes that had been involved and … the victim had suffered significant injuries to his arms and legs,” Toews said.

He said that through a “quick and thorough investigation,” police found out that three suspects had been seen leaving a Petro-Canada in a Mr. Ride Taxi. Police tracked down the taxi and, inside, found two people who matched the suspect’s descriptions, he said.

McKay-Catcheway and Ethan Cook were arrested. Cook remains before the court and has a preliminary inquiry scheduled for February 2026.

Sasha McAskie, who was also arrested in relation to the robbery, received a 42-month sentence in November.

McKay-Catcheway was wearing the same hat, shoes and pants as police observed in surveillance footage and had roughly $1,500 on her.

Officers interviewed another man who was in the motel room with the victim.

He said he heard a knock on the door and stated that when the victim answered, “people had rushed in with knives and a machete swinging,” Toews said.

The man told police he hid underneath a blanket while the robbery was happening. He said the victim called the police, but due to his injuries, he took over the phone call. He said his phone and backpack were stolen and that he thought they were “set up,” the court heard.

Police also interviewed McKay-Catcheway, and an officer noted that she “began to give what I believe was a fairly honest account of what had occurred,” Toews read, adding that she told police she was friends with the victim.

The Crown accepted that McKay-Catcheway was not responsible for the victim’s injuries, which required “extensive medical intervention,” but that the robbery benefited her and she was aware of what was going on.

“It’s clear that Miss McKay-Catcheway attended and participated, at least providing moral support, and benefited from the cash that was stolen,” Toews said. “The crime was not particularly sophisticated but extremely serious in any effect.”

The Crown and defence jointly recommended a sentence of 42 months, which Toews said took into account McKay-Catcheway’s limited record, relatively early guilty plea and co-operation with police during the investigation.

Defence lawyer Adam Pinx said McKay-Catcheway took full responsibility for her actions and that she never expected the altercation to unfold the way it did.

“As she understood it, the actual attack itself wasn’t part of the plan. It was more of a robbery by way of threat, but things went a bit sideways, and it’s unfortunate they did,” Pinx said.

Additionally, he said that if her comments about being friends with the victim is taken at face value, “it’s fair to assume that this was not anything that she wished to happen upon her friend in terms of the attack or the injuries sustained.”

Pinx said McKay-Catcheway has struggled with substance abuse on and off for the last 10 years.

“At 17 years of age, she was introduced to hard street drugs through friends,” he said. “She advised that she had about two years of sobriety, notably while she was pregnant with her son, as well as the first year of his life.”

He said for several reasons she returned to substances.

He said she did pursue her own addiction treatment previously but left in under a week after she was attacked by another resident. While in custody, he said she has attended support groups and plans to participate in any programming offered at the federal institution.

Sullivan accepted the joint recommendation and emphasized the seriousness of the offences. McKay-Catcheway has the equivalent of roughly one year of time served to her credit, leaving her with a three-year sentence going forward.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com