Lisa Smith

The accused pleaded guilty to trafficking restricted and prohibited firearms, possessing proceeds of crime over $5,000, and trafficking fentanyl.

The sentencing judge imposed a global sentence of 11 years, reduced by 2.5 years for prolonged and unacceptable pre-trial custody conditions including extensive lockdowns and triple bunking, and further reduced by Summers credit of 3.6 years for 874 non-lockdown days of pre-trial custody.

Mitigating factors included no prior criminal record, relative youth, genuine remorse, strong rehabilitative potential, and systemic disadvantage as a Black man raised in poverty with significant personal losses.

Aggravating factors included the deadly combination of fentanyl and firearms trafficking repeated over several months for profit, and the theft of police buy money.

The court also considered the collateral consequence of likely deportation and its impact on rehabilitation and family separation.

The remaining sentence to be served is 1,791 days (approximately 4.9 years).

The accused was convicted of possession of a loaded, restricted firearm with accessible ammunition, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a prohibited device and ammunition without a licence, and disobeying a lawful court order prohibiting weapon possession.

The court imposed a sentence of three years imprisonment on the firearm-related offences (served concurrently) and six months imprisonment on the breach of court order (served consecutively), for a total of three years and six months, less 574 days of enhanced pre-sentence custody credit, resulting in a remaining custodial term of one year, eleven months, and eight days.

The court found that the accused transported the loaded firearm across provincial borders in a motor vehicle and possessed it in public places, constituting aggravating factors.

The court emphasized the serious and escalating problem of illegal firearm possession in Peel Region and the paramount importance of denunciation and deterrence in sentencing for such offences.

Ezekel Vincent pleaded guilty to manslaughter after initially being charged with second-degree murder.

The charge stemmed from Vincent fatally shooting Kenroy Benjamin, who had just killed Vincent's friend, Sheldon Taylor, at a banquet hall.

The court determined that Vincent brought the handgun to the scene.

The sentencing decision considered aggravating factors, including the use of a prohibited firearm in a public place, the pursuit and close-range shooting of the victim, and the non-recovery of the weapon.

Mitigating factors included Vincent's guilty plea, lack of prior criminal record, difficult upbringing, experience with racial discrimination, and harsh pre-trial custody conditions.

The court imposed an 11-year sentence, reduced to 10 years due to harsh custody conditions, and further reduced by 30 months for pre-trial credit, resulting in a net sentence of 7.5 years.

A lifetime weapons prohibition and DNA order were also imposed.

The defendant, charged with multiple firearm and domestic violence offenses, was in a reverse onus bail hearing.

The Crown opposed release on secondary and tertiary grounds, citing the serious nature of the allegations, the defendant's criminal record including prior domestic violence convictions and breaches of release orders, and the discovery of a loaded firearm.

The proposed supervision plan by the defendant's mother and grandmother was deemed insufficient given the defendant's history of non-compliance and the severity of the charges.

The court found a substantial likelihood of the defendant committing further offenses and that release would undermine public confidence in the administration of justice, despite COVID-19 concerns in custodial settings.

The defendant's application for bail was denied, and he was ordered detained.