Charles Gauthier won’t be celebrating the fact Ryan Dickinson will spend the next 13 months in jail for taking part in the Stanley Cup riot last June.
Instead, the executive director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association says Dickinson’s sentence — the first handed down to an accused rioter — is part of the “healing process” for the businesses that were ransacked, looted and destroyed.
“It’s a good start,” he said. “I’m not going to celebrate that someone is going to jail, but I think for some of our members it’s bittersweet.”
Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu praised Judge Malcolm MacLean for taking the case seriously.
“We’re very happy with the sentence handed down in court,” he said. “The sentence … is a victory for the victims and the citizens of Vancouver. The whole city was victimized by the carnage and mayhem inflicted by those rioters. The courts have clearly held this person accountable.”
Chu isn’t sure the sentence — 16 months for participating in a riot, with two years probation, plus another month for breaching bail conditions — will set a baseline for future penalties. He says jail terms will vary depending on the circumstances of the case.
To date, charges have been approved against 52 people. Charges against 125 suspected rioters have been recommended by police so far.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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