The first person to be convicted for participating in the Stanley Cup riot received a 17-month jail sentence Thursday in Vancouver Provincial Court.
Judge Malcolm McLean sentenced Ryan Dickinson, 20, to 16 months in prison for participating in the June 15 riot and an additional month for violating his curfew on the night of the riot. The curfew was a condition of a bail order related to a previous assault conviction.
But McLean took into account the time Dickinson already served in jail-he's been in custody since Dec. 8-and granted him three-and-a-half months for time served, reducing his overall sentence to 13-and-a-half months.
The judge also imposed a two-year probation order, which the Coquitlam man must abide by when he is released from prison. Conditions include counselling and staying away from drugs or alcohol.
"This is a significant sentence," said McLean, adding that it was necessary to deter others from participating in a riot.
Dickinson was dressed in a prison-issued red long-sleeve shirt, loose pants and white runners as he sat next to his lawyer, Eric Warren, in the courtroom. His mother and sister sat a few rows back. When the judge asked Dickinson if he had anything to say, he shook his head from side to side.
Dickinson earlier had his lawyer read a short note to the court in which he said he was ashamed and deeply embarrassed for his actions that night, and that he was "caught up in the moment."
"His behaviour does not reflect someone who simply got caught up in the moment," McLean said in court Thursday, adding that Dickinson made a conscious and deliberate decision to participate in the riot. The judge also said Dickinson's actions encouraged others to participate in the destruction.
In court Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Patti Tomasson showed video and still photographs of Dickinson in the 700-block Nelson Street throwing a newspaper box at an unmarked police car.
The footage also showed Dickinson attempting to flip an unmarked police car with others and tossing a mannequin and another newspaper box into an already destroyed Black and Lee tuxedo shop on Richards Street. Dickinson also used the leg of a street barricade to smash the rear driver's side window of a police car, Tomasson said.
The judge said Dickinson appeared to be remorseful for the damage he caused and has agreed to pay some restitution to the City of Vancouver. The judge didn't elaborate on the nature of the restitution.
In referring to a pre-sentence report, McLean said Dickinson grew up in an "unstable" and "dysfunctional" family, without any discipline. He began drinking alcohol at 12 years old and lost jobs because of his alcoholism.
But the court heard the only evidence Dickinson was drinking on the night of the riot is when he found "a mickey of alcohol" and drank "a mouthful."
"Mr. Dickinson, good luck to you, sir," the judge told Dickinson before he was escorted from the courtroom by sheriff's deputies back to jail.
Though Dickinson agreed to provide some restitution to the City of Vancouver, the Crown did not seek restitution in sentencing. Outside the courthouse, Crown spokesperson Neil MacKenzie said a number of factors were considered in making the decision
"One of them was the particular circumstance that Crown was looking for a lengthy custodial sentence in relation to Mr. Dickinson and the other was that it's somewhat difficult to isolate particular amounts of restitution where there's been a large number of people causing damage," MacKenzie said.
Vancouver Police Department Insp. Les Yeo of the Integrated Riot Investigation Team and two other officers were in the courtroom to hear the judge's sentencing of Dickinson. The VPD held a press conference late Thursday, with Police Chief Jim Chu saying he was happy with the judge's sentence imposed against Dickinson.
"We said all along that we believed the courts would treat the offence of rioting seriously and the courts have done that today," Chu said.
Twitter: @Howellings
