Officials said that prosecution of the Stanley Cup rioters would take some time and they weren’t kidding.
It’s been over a year since the Vancouver Canucks lost in the seventh, and deciding Stanley Cup final game to the Boston Bruins and according to reports, there are still about 113 cases yet to be heard.
Some of the rioters, however, have received what is deemed their just deserts – Emmanuel Alviar, who was taped rocking vehicles and damaging the Telus building in Vancouver, received jail time.
Robert Snelgrove, another rioter, was originally sentenced to house arrest for five months and 150 hours of community service as he was caught exiting Sears with about $150 worth of looted goods.
However, the judge that sentenced Snelgrove also said that he wanted to shorten the number of community service hours from 150 to 50 citing the stress it would cause on the already strained provincial corrections branch – thankfully, the judge can’t due to legal rules.
To be fair, Snelgrove, like some of the other rioters turned himself in to police shortly days after the riot but in even considering shortening the community service hours, the judge appears to be talking out of both sides of his mouth.
“You committed a crime, so here’s your punishment,” in one breath and “Well it might be too costly to go through with the punishment, so here’s a compromise,” in another.
The judge should’ve considered the strain to the corrections branch before giving out the sentence and waffling only adds credence to the notion that the justice system in the country and province is too lax – how many times have we seen sentences reduced?
While Snelgrove did turn himself in and while his lawyer said his crimes are tamer than some of the other acts that took place during the riot, he was a part of that infamous night.
He also didn’t read an apology letter he wrote to the media after an appearance in court last week – he’s probably tired of the spotlight and apologizing constantly but humbling himself before the media would go a long way in repairing his image.
