A Granby youth caught robbing drug dealers while his accomplice was under police surveillance is getting away with a 20-month prison sentence, which he is serving in the community to avoid deportation to his home country.
Despite the fact that he had committed “very serious crimes”, 23-year-old Nive Kercy Muhoza was able to benefit from the leniency of judge Serge Champoux, who found a “significant improvement” in the defendant’s attempt to regain control.
Arriving in Canada at the age of 15, the young man from Burundi has “difficulties with integration”, so much so that he forms bad associations and engages in drug and alcohol use.
On October 8, 2020, he and two of his friends, Mamadou Ly and another unidentified minor, were smoking cannabis and hatched a plan to steal drugs from Montreal drug dealers.
Robberies on human traffickers, monitored
“It is agreed that these people will be taken to Granby under the pretense of a drug transaction. The aim is to confiscate the drugs that these people have on the spot,” describes Judge Champoux.
Muhoza’s job is to monitor the Miner’s footbridge in the city center while the two accomplices meet the individuals.
“The minor then pulls out what appears to be a pistol and points it at the occupants of the car, forcing those people to get out and in one fall, lie on the ground,” the statement said.
What they didn’t know was that they were being monitored by the local police at the time and that she happened to witness the robbery.
“When the police saw an extremely disturbing event, unable to remain passive spectators of such a violent demonstration, they decided to intervene,” the judge said.
The intervention almost went awry when the young gunman pointed it at an agent, thankfully never firing.
He has onesnitch»
However, the minor eventually decided to cooperate with the police and “is making a statement incriminating his accomplices”.
This situation is badly received by Muhoza, who decides to publish on social networks a recording of the minor’s testimony during a court hearing.
“Then he accuses the minor in question of being a spy or informers and uses other similar statements about him, probably with the aim of stirring up hatred, anger or revenge against this person,” emphasizes the judge.
Possibly expelled
However, the defendant is not a Canadian citizen, just a permanent resident, so he could be deported for these crimes.
“Inadmissibility for a serious crime can be pronounced if a person in the accused’s situation is sentenced to more than six months’ imprisonment,” the judge emphasized.
He decided to take into account Muhoza’s many efforts: “Cleaning up bad associations, cessation of multiple drug and alcohol use, reduction, even desired cessation of cannabis use, return to college, halting employment for almost a year full time,” he notes firmly.
He was handed a 20-month community prison sentence, plus two years probation.