A youth pleaded guilty to two serious violent offences: armed robbery of a convenience store and armed robbery of a Subway, both committed on the same night while armed with a loaded restricted handgun.
The Crown sought 18 months secure custody followed by 18 months probation.
The defence sought a deferred custody sentence or, alternatively, the most lenient appropriate sentence given the youth's tragic background and remarkable rehabilitative progress since arrest.
The court imposed a non-custodial sentence of 24 months probation with intensive conditions, including participation in the Intensive Support and Supervision Program (ISSP), 240 hours of community service, strict curfew, and various treatment and counselling requirements.
The court found that while the offences were serious, a custodial sentence would be counter-productive for this vulnerable youth who had demonstrated exceptional rehabilitation potential and was at a critical juncture in his life.
