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Rioters committed 'home invasion' on entire community, should be jailed: Crown
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The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER - The first person convicted of participating in last year's Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver appears destined for jail, but just how long he stays there will depend on which version of Ryan Dickinson a judge accepts.
Dickinson, 20, admits to trashing an unmarked police car and vandalizing a store last June 15. The Crown maintains he is an angry young man who should be punished not only for his own conduct, but also for the actions of the entire mob of rioters that overtook Vancouver's downtown core.
Dickinson's lawyer, on the other hand, says his client is the product of a troubled upbringing in a broken home who was merely caught up in the frenzy of destruction that followed the Cancucks' loss in the Stanley Cup final.
The Crown is recommending Dickinson be sentenced to between 15 and 18 months in jail for a charge of participating in a riot, while his own lawyer is asking for a year. Dickinson has been in custody since December.
A sentencing decision is expected Thursday.
In an agreed statement of fact read in court Tuesday, Dickinson admitted using a road barricade and a newspaper box to help destroy an unmarked police vehicle in downtown Vancouver. He later tossed a mannequin and a newspaper box at a clothing store window a few blocks away.
Crown lawyer Patti Tomasson said Dickinson was part of a larger mob that terrorized the city, destroying property, assaulting civilians and police officers, and traumatizing workers.
"What is common to all is that the riot has stripped a sense of safety and security from the City of Vancouver," said Tomasson.
"In the Crown's submission, the riot was akin to a home invasion of the whole community."
Dickinson sat next to his lawyer wearing red jail garb and white sneakers as the court viewed several videos and photographs that appeared to have been shot by bystanders.
The videos showed Dickinson smashing the unmarked police car and a separate clip captured by a surveillance camera showed Dickinson at the clothing store.
Tomasson said all rioters should be sentenced harshly, regardless of their individual involvement. She suggested the riot justified a range of 12 to 18 months to deter future riots and punish those responsible.
Tomasson noted Dickinson was on bail at the time of the riot when he violated a court-imposed curfew. The bail conditions related to an assault in September 2010 in which Dickinson was among a group of people who assaulted two men during a robbery attempt. Dickinson kicked one of the victims in the head, said Tomasson.
"On the night of the riot, he participated in mob criminality, which is consistent with his pattern of criminal behaviour in the past," said Tomasson.
"As is apparent from his pre-sentence report, Mr. Dickinson is an angry young man. ... Mr. Dickinson enjoyed what he was dong that evening. He was not a mere participant in the riot. In the Crown's submission, he was an instigator."
Tomasson asked for an additional one to three months for the bail breach.
Dickinson's lawyer, Eric Warren, objected to the Crown's characterization of Dickinson as an instigator.
Instead, Warren said Dickinson is an immature young man who grew up in a dysfunctional family that broke apart when he was a child and who now regrets his actions.
"He is a participant (in the riot), and that's clear, so I'm not trying to say that he's at the very low end of that scale, but he's not at the high end," said Warren.
Warren read aloud from a letter Dickinson wrote to the court.
"I am writing you this so I can have the chance to explain to you in my own words that I am sorry for my unexplainable actions that took place during the Stanley Cup riot," the letter said.
"I'm ashamed and deeply embarrassed. I was caught up in the moment. I made some very bad decisions that day and I am willing to take full responsibility for my actions."
Dickinson's case has been the focus of considerable media attention because he is the first rioter convicted and also because the Crown used his case to make its first application to televise riot-related court proceedings.
In a throne speech last year, Premier Christy Clark made a controversial pledge to make such applications, arguing that rioters who committed crimes in public should be prepared to be tried in public as well.
But on Monday, provincial court Judge Malcolm MacLean denied the Crown's application to televise Dickinson's case, concluding there were too many outstanding questions and not enough time to answer them.
That decision prompted Attorney General Shirley Bond to announce she would no longer ask the Crown to make such applications. A Crown spokesman confirmed Tuesday that prosecutors would not be making any more applications.
So far, police have recommended charges against a total of 125 people, but Crown counsel has only approved charges against 47.
One person has already pleaded guilty and has been sentenced for possessing clothing stolen from a store during the riot, but not for participating in the riot itself.
Karanvir Singh Saran received an absolute discharge, avoiding jail time. Those charges were laid by the RCMP and weren't connected to the Vancouver Police Department's riot investigation.
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