VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The
Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association says judges might want to consider making any future convicted Stanley Cup rioters pay for the damage they caused.
The idea comes after the first person to plead guilty to taking part in the riot was
sentenced to 17 months in jail, but not ordered to pay restitution. With credit for time already served, Ryan Dickinson will spend 13 and a half months in jail.
The Crown decided not to ask Dickinson to pay for smashing police cars and a store window on June 15th, 2011, although it says there may be other cases where other rioters may want to make a monetary contribution for the damage caused.
Charles Gauthier with the DVBIA hopes it's still an option. "Maybe it's going to be for those offenders who may not be serving as much jail time as Mr. Dickinson and maybe there has to be a financial component to it, for them to pay back the community."
Gautheir adds the courts could also go after rioters' parents or guardians for payback.
"Without naming any particular merchants in the downtown area, they've done that for situations including shoplifting," he explains. "So, I would not put it past any of them to go after the parents if they're not able to get the money directly from the young offenders or the young adult offenders."
Gauthier says the association is pleased with the sentence given to Dickinson.