One of two men found guilty of a violent home invasion in New Westminster in 2016 was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week.
Stephen Smith, 23, of Coquitlam was handed a decade-long sentence in B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 18, according to a police press release, more than two years after he and another man forced their way into a home on Queens Avenue.
The incident happened on July 6, 2016, in the 400 block of Queens Avenue. One person suffered significant injuries in the attack, but by the time officers arrived at the home, the suspects were gone.
New Westminster Police poured considerable resources into the investigation and were able to track down and arrest the two men the day after the attack.
Smith and Victor James, 25, of Port Coquitlam, were charged with aggravated assault, break-and-enter, unlawful confinement, robbery and possession of property obtained by crime.
In May 2018, Smith pled guilty to possession of property obtained by crime and two counts of attempted fraud and James also pled guilty to possession of property obtained by crime.
They stood trial on the remaining offences and, in June 2018, were found guilty of break-and-enter, aggravated assault, forcible confinement and robbery.
James has not been sentenced yet, according to police.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this trial, and are hopeful that the victim is able to find some closure now that it is over,” Sgt. Jeff Scott said in the release. “We take violent incidents such as this extremely seriously and we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that suspects who engage in these types of crimes are held to account before our justice system. We are committed to keeping this city and our citizens safe against those that would seek to do them harm.”
