Watch Live: CityNews at Six Vancouver

Sentencing in 2013 beating death of New Westminster teen

By

NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – A teen found guilty of second-degree murder in the attack and beating death of 19-year-old Karim Meskine in 2013 will spend four years in jail and then three more years under supervision as part of his youth sentence.

The young man, who was 16-years-old at the time of the crime, can’t be identified due to his age at the time of the incident.

His lawyer, Matthew Nathanson, says this sentence is not a “slap on the wrist” and he calls it a significant punishment for his client. “The judges ruling, and we respectfully agree with it, was very sensitive to the fact that this was a senseless tragedy. There is no other way describe it.”
The young man will not get any credit for time already served as he waited for his sentence.

Nathanson says the judge did not stray from what we’ve seen in other similar cases across the country. “There’s nothing unusual or exceptional about the sentence that was imposed here today.”

He says his client feels deep regret for what happened. “He has tried very hard and will continue to try very hard to make up for the terrible act that he committed and that’s an extremely important consideration for the court to consider and that they did consider.”

The last time this case was in court, the judge had said the teen was “mildly intoxicated” at the time of the crime and that he “intended the natural consequences of his actions” when he attacked Meskine with a baseball bat near the 22nd Street SkyTrain Station in New Westminster in December of 2013.

Meskine was walking away from the SkyTrain station when he was jumped. He spent the next few days in the hospital in a coma. He died one day after his 19th birthday.

Crown Counsel asked for an adult sentence, but the judge ruled he would get better resources from a youth sentence.

Meskine’s family chose not to speak to the media today.

 

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today