A man charged in connection to a terrifying incident on Saulteaux First Nation in October 2013 has been sentenced.
Robert Martel has received 42 months, or 3.5 years, in a federal penitentiary. He receives credit of 893 days of remand time, however, which means Martel has a little over a year left of time in custody.
The sentence was handed down Thursday in provincial court in North Battleford.
Martel had been charged with uttering threats, assault with a weapon and use of a firearm in the commission of an offence, following an incident at a residence. In that incident Martel put a gun to the victim’s head and pulled the trigger, however the gun did not go off.
The incident took place at the kitchen table. The victim managed to escape and called 911 from a nearby residence.
His pre-sentence report was described by the Crown as highly favourable. It was noted during sentencing that Martel had turned away from his gang lifestyle.
According to submissions in court, Martel renounced his membership in the Terror Squad in November 2013 and dropped his colours, and had testified for the Crown against his former gang associates in an attempted murder trial. It is also likely he will enter into witness protection after his release.
Martel had been in “administrative segregation” while serving at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre. He was placed under highly restrictive conditions, having been in lockup 23.5 hours of the day.
Martel had written letters of apology to the court and to the victims, and expressed his remorse further when he spoke to the court prior to sentence. “I admit my wrongs and my faults,” he told the court, and he also apologized to his family and victim's family.
