A provincial court judge said Tuesday that a man who was filmed during a racist outburst in Abbotsford last year should be held accountable for his actions, even though he had no control over the release of the video and the subsequent attention it drew.
Judge Kenneth Skilnick agreed with the joint submission by Crown and defence lawyers that Karry Corbett, 48, of Hope should receive a two-month conditional sentence to be followed by one year of probation.
Skilnick said he disagreed with the defence’s claim that the publicity the video received should not be held against Corbett.
“We live in an age where almost everyone has a cellphone and almost every cellphone has the capacity to video record conduct, in addition to the moral responsibility for us all to treat our fellow citizens with respect,” Skilnick said in his reasons for sentencing. “The ubiquitous nature of video recording is an additional reason for people to conduct themselves properly and lawfully in public.”
Corbett’s sentencing hearing took place Tuesday morning in Abbotsford provincial court.
He previously pleaded guilty to one count of assault in relation to verbally abusing lawyer Ravi Duhra on Oct. 21, 2016. Three other charges – uttering threats, causing a disturbance and a second count of assault – were stayed.
On the day in question, Duhra had seen an attendant handing a ticket to a double-parked pickup truck in a parking lot in the 33600 block of South Fraser Way in Abbotsford.
Duhra heard words exchanged, including an alleged threat, and went to take a picture of the truck’s licence plate. It was then that the truck’s passenger, Corbett, turned his ire on Duhra, who began filming the interaction.
Corbett was subsequently charged in relation to his interaction with Duhra and with the 72-year-old parking attendant before Duhra began filming.
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During the sentencing hearing, the Crown said that Duhra had not provided a victim impact statement, and in his statement to police – provided about a week after the incident – stated that he felt the media exposure had resulted in Corbett being “properly shamed.”
Duhra did not believe charges were warranted, but said that he felt Corbett should receive some counselling, the Crown said.
Corbett’s sentence requires him to follow a curfew of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. and, through the end of his probation, to not be present in Abbotsford in the area bordered by Maclure Road, Highway 11, Marshall Road and Gladwin Road.
He is also required to take any counselling – including a victim reconciliation program – as ordered by his conditional sentence supervisor.
In February of this year, Corbett received a 45-day jail sentence and one-year probation for charges of uttering threats and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose in December 2015 in Hope.
In April, he was handed a one-year driving ban for driving while prohibited in September 2016 in Abbotsford.
