Momtaz, 16, a victim of an acid attack, participates in a protest against the recent public execution of a young woman, in Kabul
Momtaz, 16, a victim of an acid attack, participates in a protest against the recent public execution of a young woman, in Kabul July 11, 2012. The Taliban denied involvement in the killing in Parwan province, in which an unnamed woman's head and body were riddled with bullets at close range in punishment for alleged adultery. Authorities in Kabul directly blamed the Islamist group. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Nikolas Stefanatos, the Canadian who had thrown acid in his girlfriend's face, was given a 57-month sentence. Stefanatos, however, will spend 16 months behind bars as he has already served time.

Quebec Court judge Helene Di Salvo said that Stefanatos' offence against his ex-girlfriend Tanya St-Arnauld had left permanent scars which could be erased by no sentence. The former hairdresser suffered the acid attack in 2012 that third-degree burn to 19 percent of her body. Stefanatos' sentence would be followed by three years of probation including a set of 17 designed conditions. The Quebec man apparently had serious problems with alcohol and drugs. He was intoxicated on the day he launched an attack on his ex-girlfriend who used to live with him during the time of attack. Stefanatos stared at the floor while the judge read the sentence.

St-Arnauld said outside the courtroom that she had found 16 months to be insignificant as a punishment even though she understood why a joint sentencing recommendation might have done. She said that the sentence was "not much." "It took me longer to get better and do my (surgeries)," National Post quoted her, "In 16 months, he'll look normal, he'll be able to change his name and in 16 months I'll still be scarred." St-Arnauld was placed in an induced coma twice after a heated argument with her former boyfriend led to the acid incident. Stefanatos threw a cleaning product on his 29-year-old girlfriend after she had come back spending a day with friends.

Stefanatos, who has already served 41 months, will have to spend only 16 more months behind bars as time served before sentencing is considered equivalent to time and a half. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault which left St-Arnauld with the mobility of "an infant." CBC News reported that the paint on the apartment wall near the scene of the argument bubbled and peeled off after a part of the acid was sprayed on it. St-Arnauld gave birth to a boy after the attack. She said that she would have to explain to her child one day why her skin was disfigured.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au