Federal prison sentence imposed on robbery and theft offences
A Halifax man who admitted to a host of offences relating to a six-day mini crime spree spanning two provinces was sentenced Thursday to serve a 6.5-year federal jail sentence.
Jason William Buckler Benn, 26, whose court file lists a number of addresses in Halifax and Truro, was sentenced after pleading guilty to offences that occurred in St. Catherines, Ont., last Oct. 2 and in four Cape Breton communities last Oct. 8.
He pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of a St. Catherines pharmacy, possession of stolen property (a vehicle reported stolen in Halifax) and two counts of breaching court orders.
In fleeing Ontario before being nabbed on the robbery charge, Benn boarded a bus headed east and on Oct. 8, 2017, found himself wandering the streets of Port Hawkesbury.
According to an agreed statement of facts read Thursday during the sentencing hearing, Benn broke into a car rental business and stole another vehicle. At the time, Benn’s driving privileges were suspended as a result of previous offences.
In heading down Highway 105, Benn stopped at a gas station in in Waycobah where he was involved in a minor accident with another vehicle in the parking lot.
He quickly fled the scene and stopped again at a Wagmatcook gas station which he robbed.
Continuing on down the road, Benn arrived in North Sydney where he again robbed a gas station.
He was later arrested at the North Star Inn after the gas station attendant was able to give police a description of the suspect and vehicle. Benn was believed to have been trying to make his way to Newfoundland and Labrador and was in North Sydney to catch the ferry.
Prosecutor Christa MacKinnon and defence lawyer Andre Landry offered a joint sentencing recommendation that was accepted by provincial court Judge Diane McGrath.
Landry described his client as a young person simply trying to keep his head above water.
He said Benn spent a number of years in foster care and developed an opiate addiction when he was first sent to a federal prison for five years at the age of 19.
In addition to the jail sentence, McGrath also ordered Benn submit a DNA sample to the national registry and is banned from possessing firearms for life. He is also prohibited from driving for two years.