National Post

Matt Gurney: Vancouver rioter deserved more than the ‘crazy’ sentence he got
On Monday, a Vancouver judge sentenced Emmanuel Alviar, 20, to one month behind bars for his role in the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot. Alviar had no prior criminal record, turned himself in and pleaded guilty to the charge of rioting. His lawyer had urged that he accordingly be spared jail time and given a conditional sentence. The judge, however, agreed with the Crown that time behind bars was necessary as a deterrent to future acts of mayhem, especially in a city that has known two Stanley Cup riots in recent memory.

As he was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, to begin his month-long sentence (likely to be closer to three weeks, if Alviar behaves well), the young man was observed to say, “This is crazy.” Clearly, Alviar agreed with his lawyer that no time behind bars was called for. He’s right about one thing — it is crazy. But not in the way he thinks. Alviar is crazily lucky to have escaped with such a tame slap on the wrist.