A thief caught thanks to an undercover agent is sentenced to three years in prison for stealing $1,700 from a Montrealer at gunpoint during a failed Kijiji transaction.
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“The defendant attempted to sell the same drone twice within a week as part of a well-conceived plan that involved using a fake firearm (never found) the first time and possessing a firearm the second time. “ summed up Judge Mylène Grégoire as she sentenced Brian Christopher Saint-Jean to 36 months in prison.
The 29-year-old man was convicted in March 2022 of robbery, use of an imitation firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm.
In December 2018, a young man who wanted to buy a $2,500 drone found one at a discount on the Kijiji platform.
After the negotiation, the salesman, who introduced himself as “Bryan,” offered him $1,700. The two men arranged to meet early in the evening in the parking lot of a supermarket in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montreal.
Once there, Saint-Jean suggested the customer sit in the back seat of his Ford Fusion to complete the transaction. Saint-Jean was accompanied by a passenger whose identity is unknown.
After examining the device for several minutes, the man gave Saint-Jean $1,700 in cash. The defendant then took the money and confiscated the drone while the passenger pointed a gun at the victim’s heart without firing.
The customer fled and quickly alerted the police. They found the ad on Kijiji, which was still active, and arranged to meet in Saint-Jean a few days later to buy the same drone.
At the agreed time, his vehicle was intercepted by members of the Tactical Intervention Group. Sain-Jean was then arrested and the drone and a Beretta pistol were found in the car.
Opportunistic
Since the events of 2018, Brian Christopher Saint-Jean, who had a drug history, has had no further problems with the law.
However, the person who was at large during the trial is unemployed and accumulating debts, we learn from a pre-sentence report.
“Surrounded by negative friends, he leads an idle lifestyle and yet displays opportunistic and calculating personality traits,” worries the probation officer in her report.
Judge Grégoire mentioned “the planning and premeditation” of the crimes and rejected the defense’s request to sentence Saint-Jean to a prison sentence of two years less per day, which he must serve at home.
“This is not a simple poor decision by the defendant made impulsively and as part of an act; [cela] “seems more like the result of a carefully orchestrated plan,” she said.
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