World News – CA – Quebec City mosque shooters’ prison sentences cut by 15 years

The Canadian press
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QUEBEC CITY –
The Quebec Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional a provision of the Criminal Code that allows life sentences to be served sequentially, reducing the sentence for the man who killed six people in a mosque in Quebec City in 2017.

Alexandre Bissonnette was sentenced to life imprisonment without probation for 40 years in February 2019.

With today’s decision by the Quebec Court of Appeals, Bissonnette can apply for parole after 25 years.

Since 2011, the Criminal Code has allowed judges to impose consecutive sentences for multiple murders in blocks of 25 years, but the trial judge in Bissonnette rewritten the law and sentenced the killer to 40 years instead.

Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six first-degree murders and six attempted murders in March 2018. His victims were Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42; Abdelkrim Hassane, 41; Khaled Belkacemi, 60; Aboubaker Thabti, 44; Azzeddine Soufiane, 57; and Ibrahima Barry, 39.

His original verdict did not allow parole for four decades, which his attorneys described as « unreasonable » when they appealed.

The prosecution had initially requested a 150-year prison sentence and requested that life sentences be stacked on top of each other – an option under the criminal code.

Quebec Supreme Court Justice Francois Huot opted instead for a life sentence with no parole for 40 years, saying that beyond life expectancy would have been « absurd » and in violation of the charter.

During the appeal hearing last January, Bissonnette’s attorney argued that he should be eligible for probation after 25 years, not 40 years.

The attorney argued that some of the aggravating factors that the judge had taken into account in the sentencing had not been accurately identified.

He argued that Bissonnette was not motivated by « hatred » and « racism » and that there was no evidence that the murders were not motivated by prejudice against Muslims. Rather, he said that attacking Muslims was a way for Bissonnette to rationalize his violence.

The attorney also denied that the crimes were carefully planned, and he denied that Bissonnette targeted children.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Quebec Muslim community said they were disappointed with the verdict and that it was not harsh enough.

The Crown also requested an increase in the sentence on appeal, calling for an extension to 50 years before probation.

Quebec City Mosque Shooting, Ruling, Quebec, Court of Appeals, Appeal