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Pemberton teen gets two years in jail for vicious hammer attack

BC Supreme court judge hands down maximum sentence under canada's young offender laws
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SENTENCED A Pemberton teen has been sentenced to two years in prison —the maximum allowed under Canada's young offender laws — for a vicious 2013 hammer attack. Shutterstock photo

A Pemberton teen who tried to murder a friend who was dating his former girlfriend has been sentenced to two years in jail.

The youth, who was 16 at the time of the November 2013 attack, will also have to serve a year of supervision in the community after he's released from custody.

The accused, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, is being placed under what the court called an intense rehabilitation progam aimed at his serious substance-abuse problems.

Court heard that after the accused broke up with a girl he'd been dating for five months, he increased his use of drugs, which included a hallucinogen similar to LSD, crystal meth, marijuana and ecstasy.

Five days before the attack, he began plotting to kill his friend, who was by this time dating the ex-girlfriend.

He told another friend about his plans but the friend thought he was joking.

On the day of the attack, the accused dug a grave behind his home and laid tarps down inside the house.

He lured the friend to his home and the two teens did drugs before going into the bathroom for more drugs. The accused came up behind the victim and hit him several times with a hammer.

Following a struggle, the victim wrestled the hammer away but the accused grabbed a bat and came at him again. The victim disarmed him but the accused grabbed two knives and attacked him again.

The victim grabbed the blades of the knives, which were quite dull, but the accused drove the blade of one of the knives into his face and head, cutting his face. He snapped the blade of the knife, broke free and stumbled outside, where several neighbours on the quiet residential street spotted him and called police.

Before police could arrive, the accused tried to remove evidence from the residence.

Pre-sentence reports indicated that the accused had a severe substance disorder and anti-social personality traits. His psychotic thoughts were believed to be generated by his drug abuse.

The accused witnessed domestic violence between his parents while he grew up and started experimenting with drugs in Grade 7.

The judge was told the victim, who suffered a large physical scar on his face which has disfigured him for life, suffers from anxiety, fatigue, stress, trouble concentrating, irritability, depression and concerns about his own safety. The last two years of the victim's schooling have been impacted, socially and academically.

In imposing sentence Monday, Oct.19, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Laura Gerow noted the aggravating factors, which included the planned and deliberate nature of the attack, the fact that the victim was lured to the accused's home and then attacked from behind and with three different weapons.

The judge also noted that, "there was a very good likelihood that (the victim) could have died if he had not been able to escape from the home."

"The offence is a very serious offence," said the judge. "It is clear from the victim impact statement and the photographs that were filed, that (the accused's) attack caused serious harm to (the victim) and his family. Also, the offence has had a serious impact on the community in which it occurred."

Mitigating factors included that the accused pleaded guilty to attempted murder and has shown remorse.

The sentence imposed was the maximum for attempted murder under Canada's young offender laws.

Outside court, the accused's parents commented that their son had been in the care of the B.C. government at the time of the attack and questioned whether he was being properly supervised.

The mom, who cannot be named, said her son had been using money provided by the ministry to purchase drugs.

"He had no food in the fridge."

-Story courtesy of The Province newspaper