Skip to content

Jail terms stacking up for Cup rioters two years later

More than 100 sentenced, 325 more could still be charged
1955surreyriot-gonnaflipcar-7web
Rioters flipped and burned cars in downtown Vancouver June 15

Sixteen more accused rioters are now charged nearly two years after the night of downtown mayhem that followed the Vancouver Canucks' 2011 Stanley Cup final loss.

A total of 229 people have now been charged with crimes including participating in a riot and 149 of them have pleaded guilty.

So far 104 have been sentenced and 32 got jail sentences ranging from 30 days to 20 months, while others have conditional sentences including house arrest.

The Crown appealed two sentences seeking stiffer prison terms.

Prosecutors wanted the 90-day jail term to be served on weekends increased to six months for Delta rioter Lincoln Kennedy Williams.

The B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the original sentence but confirmed imprisonment is appropriate for convicted rioters.

"He was one of the ringleaders in vandalizing, overturning, and burning the GMC truck at the 'live site' on Georgia Street," according to the appeal court.

While his participation in a "frightening, violent spectacle of wanton destruction" was "shockingly anti-social" behaviour, the top court also noted it was out of character and the high school grad confessed to police the next day.

A 60-day intermittent jail term was also upheld for Vancouver resident Alexander Keelty Peepre, who cooperated with police after an anonymous tipster fingered him as one of the rioters.

Although critics predicted the push for justice against rioters would clog the court system, Crown counsel spokesman Neil MacKenzie said he's not aware of any case-flow problems.

"There have been a significant number of guilty pleas so there's been significantly less court time required than if the matters had been set for trial," he said.

Just one case has so far gone to trial, and it lead to a conviction. Nine other trials involving 15 accused are pending.

While prosecutors have rejected police-requested charges against 40 accused, they are still considering charge requests against another 325 suspects.