Discharging a firearm with intent, Possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm, Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized
R. v. Rahiman
- Below the Crown's ask
Sentence and the Crown's position
What the law allows
Reza Rahiman pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm with intent to endanger life and two firearm possession offences after firing two shots from a handgun into another driver's vehicle during a road rage incident in Nanaimo in February 2023. The Crown sought seven years in custody. Justice Baird imposed five years and six months, reducing the seven years he would otherwise have imposed to account for the late guilty plea, pre-sentence custody, 26 months of house arrest on bail, family support and a gap in Rahiman's criminal record.
In the judge's words
1In my view the combination of his antecedents and the aggravated circumstances of the offences before the court render a sentence of under two years completely out of the question. Such a disposition would be totally inadequate.
The record
Sources
- R. v. Rahiman, 2025 BCSC 1375 Court decision, CanLII, July 15, 2025
The Crown seeks a sentence of seven years imprisonment on Count 2, with concurrent sentences of three years and one year on Counts 4 and 5, respectively.
The accused seeks concurrent conditional sentences of two years less one day on Counts 2 and 4, and a concurrent conditional sentence of six months on Count 5, followed by three years of probation.
and s. 244(2)(b), which, "in any other case", carries no minimum penalty at all, only a maximum of 14 years.
[1] Mr. Reza Rahiman has entered guilty pleas and must now be sentenced
[12] Another side of Mr. Rahiman is shown by his criminal record. Perhaps the various letter writers were unaware of it. As I said the other day, I have seen worse, but his record is certainly nothing to brag about. He aggregated 13 convictions over 16 years between 2001 and 2017 for dangerous operation of a vehicle (2 counts), assaulting a peace officer, causing a disturbance, harassing communications, mischief (2 counts), uttering threats, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, breach of undertaking or recognizance (2 counts), and breach of a probation order (2 counts).
In my view the combination of his antecedents and the aggravated circumstances of the offences before the court render a sentence of under two years completely out of the question. Such a disposition would be totally inadequate.
[32] Giving Mr. Rahiman the maximum credit that I think admissible for these mitigating factors, I will reduce his sentence on Count 2 from the seven years that I would have imposed in their absence, to one of five years and six months. The sentence that I impose on Count 4 is three years, and on Count 5, one year. All three sentences are to be served concurrently.
- R. v. Rahiman, 2025 BCSC 1375 Court decision, Courts of British Columbia