We've already gone through our discomfort with the procedure followed and the verdict. The evidence seemed weak. The Globe and Mail pointed out that the Crown relied heavily on eyewitness testimony:
As well, the eyewitness in this particular case, a man named David Tarnowski,
was relentlessly cross-examined over the inconsistencies in testimony he has
given at other proceedings and in statements to police, particularly in his
vague and occasionally contradictory descriptions about the gunman he saw
that day. He was never able to pick JSR out of a police lineup, and was
alleged to have once identified him, moments after the shooting, as a white
man, though Mr. Tarnowski maintained what he'd been describing was the
gunman's T-shirt, not his skin colour.
The Crown has now stated that they intend to pursue an adult sentence against J.S.R. This means, according to CityTV:
If the court decides to grant the Crown's request, JSR could be sent to prison
for life with no parole eligibility for seven years. If he's put behind bars as
a youth, he can't get any more than seven years in detention - and it's likely
only four of those will be served in custody. But even if he were to get a lighter sentence, his co-accused know that he gave statements to police implicating others in the shooting. And he'll likely be forced to testify against them when their trials begin next year.
Frankly, I wouuld have thought, based on the lack of evidence against him and the fact that the Crown needs to rely so heavily on JSR for testimony against the others that they would at least allow a youth sentence. But who knows.
[Source: Globe and Mail, CityTV]
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