The Supreme Court of Canada will look at the constitutionality of a mandatory minimum penalty of four years in prison for recklessly firing a gun.
The court has agreed to hear the appeal of Jesse Dallas Hills, who pleaded guilty to four charges stemming from a May 2014 incident in Lethbridge, Alta., in which he swung a baseball bat and shot at a car with a bolt-action rifle, smashed the window of a vehicle and fired rounds into a family home.
Hills had consumed large amounts of prescription medication and alcohol, and said he did not remember the events.
Get daily National news
He argued the minimum four-year sentence for recklessly discharging a firearm violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
A judge agreed and Hills was sentenced to a term of three-and-a-half years, but the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned the finding of unconstitutionality and the sentence was increased to four years.
READ MORE: Liberals aim to tackle systemic racism in the justice system with proposed law
- Saskatchewan auto parts business falls victim to growing credit card scam
- Motorcycle rider dead after collision with vehicle in Ontario town: OPP
- B.C. murder case acquittal due to tainted evidence leaves shock, confusion
- Saskatchewan human trafficking case ‘sets a precedent,’ Crown says, with 2 found guilty
As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reasons for agreeing to hear Hills’ appeal.
Comments
Comments closed.
Due to the sensitive and/or legal subject matter of some of the content on globalnews.ca, we reserve the ability to disable comments from time to time.
Please see our Commenting Policy for more.