A man who tried to rob his regular cannabis store with a bunch of rocks was sentenced to five years in prison because of his extensive history of robbery and assault.
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Matthew James MacFarlane, 45, had six previous robbery and five previous assault convictions on his record when he appeared before Justice Colette Good recently.
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MacFarlane quickly admitted he was high on valium when he walked into the Dalhousie Street store on April 29 last year with a bunch of rocks swaddled in a white T-shirt.
“It sounds completely stupid. It’s like a cartoon and, honestly, I still don’t know what happened that day,” MacFarlane told the judge.
But, according to police, he hit the store manager with the rocks, lacerating the man’s face. The two wrestled when the manager tried to run from the store.
Frustrated, MacFarlane kicked at the cash register several times and then took off with a laptop.
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Police chased him briefly before capturing him and finding he was still on parole from a prison term given in 2018 when he was convicted of Arson, causing bodily harm and assault with intent to resist arrest.
For those crimes he was sentenced to five years on top of the time he was already serving, so his April crime meant his parole was revoked and he was held at Maplehurst correctional facility.
“He hates Maplehurst,” said defense lawyer Alison McDonald, noting the lack of counseling and programming there.
“He says it’s the hardest, most awful place. But on the last occasion he was in prison, he stopped using substances and pills. He wants to engage while serving his sentence.”
MacDonald said her client has a significant history of trauma in his life, which has been largely spent in jail or prison, but he didn’t want to slow his journey to prison by asking for a pre-sentence report.
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“There is possibility in him. There is hope.”
MacFarlane vocally agreed, saying Good he had a period of five years when he was married, off drugs and “doing great”.
“I don’t want you to think there’s no hope,” he said, apologizing for his actions.
The judge said the court always holds out hope that any criminal can change their ways but she also has a responsibility to protect the community from violence.
“The reality of the situation is when you abuse drugs, you become violent and volatile and you endanger the community,” Good said.
“Your behavior isn’t improving, it’s escalating.”
Good sentenced MacFarlane to five years in prison on top of the time he’s been serving for violating his parole.
“You’ve shown you are capable of doing the right thing. Hopefully, you get the counseling and programming you need in the penitentiary,” she said.
@EXPSGamble
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