Second degree murder, Attempted murder with a firearm
R. v. Dheensaw
- On release at the time
Sentence and the Crown's position
Both are life sentences, so the bars compare how long before parole can be considered.
What the law allows
Anthony Singh Dheensaw pleaded guilty to second degree murder and attempted murder after shooting a woman he mistook for another person outside a Langford residence in March 2020 and then shooting at a man who narrowly escaped. Crown and defence jointly proposed life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for 14 years on the murder count and nine years concurrent on the attempted murder count. Justice Wedge accepted the joint submission, treating his guilty plea as the most important mitigating factor.
In the judge's words
1Above all, Mr. Dheensaw's guilty plea speaks loudly to his acceptance of responsibility for what his actions have done.
The record
- Convicted of
- Second degree murder (CC 231(7))
- Attempted murder with a firearm (CC 239(1)(a.1))
- Prior convictions
- Not recorded
- At the time of the offence
- On bail1
- Defence asked for
- Life, no parole for 14 years1
- Mandatory minimum
- Applied1
- Appeal
- Not yet checked
- Counsel
- Crown: J.A. Gillings, P.J. Cheeseman
Defence: G. Arnet-Zargarian, C. Tam
Sources
- R. v. Dheensaw, 2022 BCSC 2048 Court decision, CanLII, August 23, 2022
[3] Counsel for the Crown and defence have jointly proposed the following sentence. For Count 1, the murder of …, life in prison without the possibility of parole for fourteen years.
[3] Counsel for the Crown and defence have jointly proposed the following sentence. For Count 1, the murder of …, life in prison without the possibility of parole for fourteen years.
[18] Now, the offence of second degree murder carries with it a mandatory life sentence. The minimum parole and eligibility period is ten years. … [20] The offence of attempted murder with a firearm carries a minimum of sentence of four years imprisonment with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
[2] On March 6, 2020, the accused, Anthony Singh Dheensaw, shot and killed …
[21] The aggravating factors in this case have been described in detail by Crown, and they are as follows: Mr. Dheensaw's use of a firearm in this offence; the fact that the incident was unprovoked at the time; Mr. Dheensaw's criminal history; his breach of bail conditions; and the impact on the victims of this crime.
[23] … Above all, Mr. Dheensaw's guilty plea speaks loudly to his acceptance of responsibility for what his actions have done.
[45] I sentence you to a life sentence without parole eligibility for fourteen years on Count 1, second degree murder. On Count 2, attempted murder, I sentence you to nine years concurrent to the sentence for second degree murder.
- R. v. Dheensaw, 2022 BCSC 2048 Court decision, Courts of British Columbia