A "stiff" sentence?

[mousme]

Clearly, the news' definition of "stiff" sentence is not my definition of a stiff sentence. Granted, I don't know much about the details of penal law in Canada but fifteen years in jail for murdering four RCMP officers doesn't seem all that harsh to me.

I'm disappointed, frankly, and angry. This is only slightly more than a slap on the wrist. It's basically giving a green light to people to go ahead and murder our officers and expect only mild repercussions. Fifteen years, but they've already served five, and with good behaviour they might serve even less.

Four young officers were gunned down in the prime of their lives. One of them was a cousin of one of my OCC colleagues. He had a wife and three young children. I'd like to know where the justice is here.

Comments

[fearsclave.livejournal.com]

Pity we can't throw them to the polar bears.

[elanya.livejournal.com]

Ugh :/

Grrrr.....

[ashforestwalker.livejournal.com]

Because you know, we do not want to treat Murderers unkindly.

WTF!
HRH.

[taxlady.livejournal.com]

While I agree that the sentences weren't "stiff", these two guys didn't murder four RCMP officers. They were accomplices and may not have known that the guy was actually going to murder the RCMP officers.

Sentencing

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Oh... even given that they weren't the gunman, this seems light by U.S. standards. The headline, though, says "long sentences", which puzzles me even more. Here, a 15-year sentence means you probably serve seven...except here, if you shoot a cop, we generally do whatever it takes to put you away for every day of your nominal sentence, presuming you don't get the death penalty.

I'm sorry, Phnee, this does seem like a bit much. Four officers?

Execution by Bear

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Not since Rome, eh?

Re: Sentencing

[mousme.livejournal.com]

Yeah. They weren't the gunman, but it still seems awfully short to me.

Here's a summary of the Mayerthorpe Incident.

I got it mixed up in my head, though. My colleague's cousin was shot in a different encounter. Still tragic.