Robbery sentencing adjourned
Taylor McGuigan to continue drug addiction treatment before hearing sentence
A 20-year-old woman who used a box cutter to rob a Charlottetown convenience store had her case adjourned until Aug. 1 so she can continue with her drug addiction treatment. Taylor McGuigan appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown Monday after previously pleading guilty to the armed robbery.
In adjourning the matter, Douglas said he didn’t want to interrupt the addiction treatment programming McGuigan was involved in.
During Monday’s proceedings, the court heard McGuigan went to the convenience store on Queen Street on Jan. 20 wearing a black winter coat and a ski mask. McGuigan had a box cutter with her.
The court heard the clerk recognized McGuigan and was about to tell her to take off the mask, but didn’t get the chance before she robbed him.
He took $700 out of the cash register, but McGuigan left $200 of it behind. Crown attorney Lisa Goulden referred to a pre-sentence report that detailed some of McGuigan’s history, including drug use that escalated to using crack cocaine. McGuigan previously tried to deal with her addiction, including by moving to New Brunswick and going on methadone, but the court heard she relapsed.
Defence lawyer Thane MacEachern told the court McGuigan acknowledged the seriousness of her offence and he said her addiction overpowered her logic. MacEachern said McGuigan had positive reports from the Strength program and had a bed waiting for her at the Lacey House drug treatment facility. McGuigan, who had no prior criminal record, also briefly addressed the court to apologize and said she wished she could turn back the clock.
“I accept full responsibility for what I’ve done,” she said. Instead of sentencing McGuigan Monday, Douglas said he considered the pre-sentence report and that the accused has been engaged in serious counselling for her addiction. Douglas adjourned the matter saying he will look at the time McGuigan spends in programming as “custody of a sort” with her activities limited.
It will be more rehabilitative around jail, Douglas said. When the matter is before Douglas again in August he will get an update on McGuigan’s progress before a further adjournment as she continues treatment. McGuigan is Charlottetown Deputy Chief Gary McGuigan’s daughter.
An RCMP review of the matter after her arrest determined there was no outside influence, special treatment or favouritism in the robbery investigation.