From CP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
MONTREAL (CP) -- A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 40 months in prison on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to arson in the firebombing of a Jewish elementary school last year.Sleiman El-Merhebi's sentencing came nine months after the fire at the United Talmud Torahs school, a firebombing that provoked widespread outrage, including Prime Minister Paul Martin's description of the act as "cowardly and racist.''
Although Quebec court Judge Jean Sirois sentenced El-Merhebi to 40 months, he gave him credit for the eight months he has already spent in detention, which counts as double time.
"The sentence beginning today is two years in prison,'' Sirois said.
Sirois said that while El-Merhebi's youth and lack of a criminal record were mitigating factors, the severity of the crime and the fact it targeted a religious group and an elementary school merited a stiff sentence.
"The accused left at the scene a message that demonstrated clearly his intentions to seek revenge on the Jewish community for acts commited overseas, to spread terror by hitting harder next time,'' Sirois said in citing his reasons for the sentence.
"This tract sought the effect of further intimidating the Jewish community.''
The Crown had sought a two-year sentence for what it called an act of "terrorism.''
Here's the story as reported in Canada's National Post:
Judge: School bombing was terrorism
Montreal Jewish facility: Nineteen-year-old sentenced to 40 months in jail for April attack
Graeme Hamilton
National Post
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
MONTREAL - Calling him a terrorist who struck at Canada's fundamental values, a judge yesterday sentenced Sleiman El-Merhebi to a 40-month prison term for firebombing a Jewish school library.
El-Merhebi, 19, crafted a bomb from kerosene canisters to torch the United Talmud Torahs elementary school last April 5, leaving behind a letter denouncing ''Israelis and Zionists'' and threatening to strike harder ''the next time.'' The fire caused more than $600,000 in damage and traumatized Montreal's Jewish community.
Judge Jean Sirois of Quebec Court said the attack was not mere vandalism, as suggested by a psychiatrist who assessed El-Merhebi on the defence's behalf.
''The tract left on the scene is unequivocal; it aims to spread terror by threatening to strike harder next time,'' Judge Sirois said.
''There is a distinction to be drawn between vandalism and terrorism: One seeks to destroy stupidly, the other to intimidate, to sow terror for a political goal. Terrorism is much more dangerous to a society; it attacks its foundations.''
Defence lawyer Pierre Poupart had stressed that his client recognized the severity of his actions and had written a letter of apology filed with the court. He asked for compassion on the part of the court, noting El-Merhebi was 18 when he committed the crime and had no prior record. He requested a sentence of two years less a day to be served in the community.
But Judge Sirois noted the Criminal Code specifies that crimes motivated by ''bias, prejudice or hate'' and crimes of terrorism merit stiffer sentences. ''The court must unequivocally denounce all acts of terrorism, whatever their motivation, particularly in the current context when terrorism is becoming international, in order to maintain social peace,'' he said.
Taking into account the eight months El-Merhebi has been detained since his arrest, which counts double when calculating time to be served, he has two years remaining in his sentence.
Crown prosecutor Anne Aube, who had asked for at least two years, said she was satisfied with the judge's decision. ''I think it sends a message that we can't tolerate that in our society,'' she said outside court.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=c9316d87-d70c-46ad-9d0c-8ae325516a61
Here in Canada we don't 'throw the book at you', we slap you with a pamphlet.
Ever since the Theo Van Gogh murder by a psycho Muslim, the Canadian media has been silenced, CAIR's psy-ops is to threaten their
License by mass protest to the CRTC for discribing a Muslim criminal as a Muslim criminal.
One Islamic group actually has a
"Islamophobe of the year"
award for articles that are Muslim bashing.