By Canadian Press

Supreme Court of Canada to look at mandatory minimum firearm sentence

Feb 18, 2021 | 10:16 AM

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will look at the constitutionality of a mandatory minimum penalty of four years in prison for recklessly firing a gun.

The court has agreed to hear the appeal of Jesse Dallas Hills, who pleaded guilty to four charges stemming from a May 2014 incident in Lethbridge, Alta., in which he swung a baseball bat and shot at a car with a bolt-action rifle, smashed the window of a vehicle and fired rounds into a family home.

Hills had consumed large amounts of prescription medication and alcohol, and said he did not remember the events.

He argued the minimum four-year sentence for recklessly discharging a firearm violated the constitutional prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.

A judge agreed and Hills was sentenced to a term of 3 1/2 years, but the Alberta Court of Appeal overturned the finding of unconstitutionality and the sentence was increased to four years.

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As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reasons for agreeing to hear Hills’ appeal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2021.

The Canadian Press