Judge chastises convicted killer during sentencing
A Calgary judge on Friday had harsh words for an admitted killer who claimed he couldn’t control his actions when he shot into a crowd of people.
“You tell the family, you tell me, sir, you couldn’t control your actions, nonsense,” Justice Earl Wilson said, sentencing Hussein Ibrahim to the equivalent of nine years in prison.
With credit for so-called dead time, Ibrahim, 22, will serve an additional 61/2, Wilson said.
But before agreeing to the joint sentence proposed by defence law- yer Allan Fay and Crown prosecutor Adam May, Wilson gave Ibrahim a lecture on his claims he was angry and drunk after losing a fight in a city bar earlier in the night.
“Don’t tell me that you were too drunk,” the Court of Queen’s Bench judge said. “I wasn’t born yesterday, don’t insult my intelligence, or the intelligence of the surviving family and friends.
‘“It’s amazing how you had the ability to roll down the window and start firing a firearm. The carelessness, the endangerment to the public … it’s stunning.”
Ibrahim pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 23, 2014, death of Calgarian Natasha Farah.
Farah, 26, was fatally shot outside a beltline-area nightclub as she stood socializing with friends.
May, reading from a statement of agreed facts, said Ibrahim was in the back seat of a passing car when he started firing, first into the air, then at the crowd gathered outside the bar, striking Farah in the chest.
Wilson noted Ibrahim took the life of a talented young woman.
“She was obviously loved by many,” he said, referring to victim impact statements which spoke of her tragic loss.
“All of them have been left with a phenomenal hole in their lives.
“It is an enduring and unrelenting pain, ” he said.
“They will live with this for the rest of their lives.”
Outside court, Farah’s mother, Naima Ismail, said she was willing to forgive Ibrahim and hoped his in-court apology was sincere.
“I have a faith and I believe in my faith,” Ismail said.
“No matter what, you have to forgive inside your heart — if you don’t forgive you will never move on. I don’t want to carry anger.”
Fay said he believes his client will learn from this tragedy and turn his life around.
“This is a combination of alcohol, testosterone, stupidity and firearms,” he said of the deadly incident.
“It’s the perfect storm and it’s so tragic that it resulted in the death of an innocent bystander.”