Former RCMP corporal Benjamin “Monty” Robinson will serve a month’s house arrest, followed by a curfew and probation, the CBC is reporting.
You can read the whole story here, but it boils down to this: In 2008, Robinson was drinking at a Halloween party, and hit a motorcyclist while driving home (the 21-year old rider had also been drinking).
Instead of aiding the downed rider, Robinson left his licence with a bystander and walked his children home, where he consumed vodka, then returned to the scene. He was convicted of obstructing justice; during the trial, witnesses testified the best way to beat a drunk driving rap was to use the “last drink” defense, which is what the Crown argued he’d done.
Judge Janice Dillon’s reasoning for the 12-month sentence that sees Robinson avoid jail time? She said Robinson was a first-time offender, an Aboriginal (something another native leader says is wrong), and an alcoholic.
Dillon also ordered Robinson to write a letter of apology to the family (he’d never apologized during the trial) and pay $1,000 to a victims fund.
If Robinson doesn’t screw up again, he’ll be curfew-free and out from under his probation officer in a year.
The Crown could have sought the maximum penalty of 10 years for the obstruction of justice conviction, but only sought three to nine months in jail, or a 12-18 month conditional sentence.
If obstruction doesn’t carry the same sentence as the crime that was otherwise committed, then there’s little reason not to commit the crime of obstruction. This is a joke and a bad one, at that.
This is punishment? The judge should be ashamed of this decision. What message does this send to the public? What it tells me is that the police can kill a man, obstruct justice and all that will happen is that they’ll get a slap on the wrist.This is nothing but an insult. Robinson should receive at least a year in jail and be fired from the RCMP for discreditable conduct. I may have been more generous IF he had stayed on the scene. There is probably little he could have done to save the man’s life but he could have, at the very least, provided succor and comfort to a dieing man. Just about anything would have been better than the actions he took. These actions showed him to be a shallow, self serving coward with little or no regard for the people he has sworn to protect.