House arrest for breaching trust

The man who was once the senior officer of the B.C. legislature has been sentenced to three months of house arrest for breaching the public trust when he purchased a new suit and shirts as work attire.

Craig James, 71, the former clerk of the B.C. legislative assembly, has been sentenced to three months' imprisonment but to be served in his home.

The sentence delivered in B.C. Supreme Court Friday marked the end of a four-year scandal that began with dramatic accusations of misspending against James by thenSpeaker Darryl Plecas, involved multiple investigations and culminated in a criminal trial in which most charges were dismissed.

B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes said because of the nature of the offence, a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest.

As clerk of the legislature, he held the highest level of responsibility apart from the Speaker, who's an elected official, she noted.

"Mr. James's offence breached the public trust at its very heart," she said.

James will be under 24-hour house arrest for the first month, and for the remainder of the term, he will be under curfew between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

He has also been ordered to pay restitution of $1,886.72, the cost of the clothing he claimed.

The Crown had asked for a jail term of up to a year, while the defence wanted James to be given 12 months' probation and a conditional sentence.

Holmes said a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest, given the circumstances of the case, even taking into account the "collateral consequences" that James has suffered.