Michael Patriquen stared straight ahead in a Halifax provincial courtroom as the man who shot him in the chest was handed a 14-year sentence.
Mykel Smith was given 14 years in a federal prison yesterday for attempting to murder Patriquen, 27, on Nov. 11, 2008 in his Middle Sackville home.
Patriquen was shot in the chest and left for dead. He survived, but was paralyzed after the bullet damaged his spinal cord.
Sergio Bowers, 21, is currently serving five years for his part in the attempted murder. He admitted to calling “an individual” to Patriquen’s house after a disagreement.
Judge Jaimie Campbell ruled the 19-year-old North Preston man, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, should be sentenced as an adult. If sentenced as a youth, Smith would have faced a maximum of three years in penitentiary.
Campbell said the Youth Criminal Justice Act is a tool to give nuanced decisions, not a licence for violent crime.
“The young man with a loaded gun sometimes is not a scared, messed-up kid but an arrogant, cold and criminally sophisticated teenager,” he said.
Smith chewed the inside of his cheek nervously as Campbell delivered the sentence. He will be credited for the 469 days he has already spent in custody.
Patriquen said he was hoping for a maximum sentence, but was pleased with the decision.
“No amount of time would really make me happy, but I do take consolation that he didn’t get a slap on the wrist,” he said.
