By: TONY BLAIS
The following story gives a whole new meaning to the colloquial phrase “riding shotgun.”
An Edmonton man was handed an eight-month jail term Wednesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including a gun offence for accidentally shooting a buddy in the derriere with a shotgun while they were driving around the city.
Crown prosecutor Shivani Naidu-Barrett told court that Sean Robert Martin, 33, and his girlfriend had been in the rear seats of a GMC Yukon while his pal, Adam Matychuk, was driving with his girlfriend in the front passenger seat on Sept. 10, 2015.
Naidu-Barrett said the Yukon was in the area of 109 Avenue and 95 Street when a single shot was discharged from a shotgun in the rear seat and “struck Mr. Matychuk in the buttocks.”
Court heard Matychuk and his girlfriend exited the vehicle while Martin and his girlfriend fled on foot from the scene.
At the time, police said Matychuk was taken to hospital suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Court heard police identified all of the occupants in the Yukon, however none of them were co-operative.
“Police believe (Martin) discharged that firearm and he acknowledges that,” said Naidu-Barrett.
Martin pleaded guilty to careless use of a firearm and possession of a firearm within a vehicle in connection to the shooting.
He also pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen vehicle and driving with a blood-alcohol level of over .08 relating to a July 13, 2009, incident where police saw him swerving all over the road, driving at erratic speeds and going through various traffic signals.
Court heard police pulled him over after he drove onto a sidewalk and he had a hard time getting out of the stolen vehicle. Breath samples revealed he was more than double the legal limit.
Martin also pleaded guilty to possessing body armour, breaching a recognizance and possessing a controlled substance in connection with a 2015 incident involving surveillance on another person that led to him being arrested. Police found he was wearing a bulletproof vest and in possession of four grams of heroin.
Defence lawyer Walter Raponi told court that Martin is a journeyman iron worker who suffers from substance abuse issues.
Provincial court Judge Michelle Doyle accepted a joint submission from the Crown and defence for an eight-month jail term, which was deemed already served by time spent in pre-trial custody. Martin was also fined $2,500, banned from driving for a year and prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years.
Source: Canoe.com
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