3-month sentence for Montreal neo-Nazi could trivialize promotion of hate, says judge
CTV
A jail sentence of just three months for a man convicted of promoting hatred against Jews could trivialize the crime, a Quebec court judge said Wednesday as he questioned the Crown's sentencing recommendation.
A jail sentence of just three months for a man convicted of promoting hatred against Jews could trivialize the crime, a Quebec court judge said Wednesday as he questioned the Crown's sentencing recommendation.
Judge Manlio Del Negro said he worries the three-month sentence followed by probation recommended by both the prosecution and the defence doesn't reflect the seriousness of the crime committed by Gabriel Sohier Chaput, who was once one of the main writers for a neo-Nazi website.
"With respect, the sentence that you're suggesting trivializes the crime," Del Negro told the two lawyers in a Montreal courtroom.
He repeatedly asked why prosecutor Patrick Lafrenière — who agreed that the crime was a serious one — had recommended a lower sentence than those imposed in similar cases.
The judge then cited several cases where sentences of six months or a year had been imposed.
Sohier Chaput was convicted of wilful promotion of hatred in late January in connection with an article he wrote for the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer. While Sohier Chaput was only charged with promoting hatred in connection with a single article, he wrote more than 800 pieces for the site.
Defence lawyer Antonio Cabral said his client is a changed man who is no longer involved with online neo-Nazis and is working to improve himself.
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