Lengthy sentence in Justice Institute of BC attacks
Posted July 27, 2016 11:14 am.
Last Updated July 27, 2016 12:33 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A man who pleaded guilty to orchestrating a string of attacks on 15 families with ties to the Justice Institute of BC has been sentenced in BC Supreme Court.
A judge has handed Vincent Cheung to 13.5 years in prison for a series of firebombings and targeted shootings in 2011 and 2012 that took place all across the Lower Mainland.
The 43-year-old Langley man pleaded guilty last week to 18 of 23 charges including arson and firearms offences stemming from the attacks.
The court was told Cheung hired associates or may have personally carried out the crimes after tracking down people who parked their car at the institute where police and first responders are trained.
Crown attorney Joe Bellows argued the man’s mental health and substance abuse challenges did not meet the bar as a mitigating factor and called for a 15-year prison sentence.
However, Cheung’s lawyer asked for a 10-year sentence, telling the court his client was taking drugs at the time of the attacks but no one chooses to be an addict.
Nine victim impact statements were made in court in which people reported emotional trauma, depression and sleep deprivation after their homes or cars were shot at or set on fire.
