‘Jail isn’t a good place for young people to be’
Teen accused of shooting German tourist to live with his grandparents
A lawyer for a teenager charged in the August shooting of a German tourist west of Calgary said it’s not often a court will keep a youth in custody.
Provincial court Judge Peter Barley granted the youth’s release Thursday on conditions that he pay $2,500 and live with his grandparents on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
The youth, who was 16 when he was charged, is to remain in the home under constant supervision and abstain from drugs or alcohol.
He faces 14 charges, including attempted murder and possession of a prohibited firearm.
“It’s rare for young offenders to be detained but again it can happen depending on a number of circumstances including the seriousness of the crime, the record of the young offender if they have any,” the youth’s lawyer, Balfour Der, said outside court Thursday.
“Courts try to release young offenders because they recognize jail isn’t a good place for young people to be.”
The teen is to return to court in Cochrane on Nov. 13.
Der said it’s too early to say if the prosecution will seek to try his client as an adult.
“The crime is very serious so that would encourage the prosecution to want to try and get an adult sentence,” Der said.
“But on the other hand he’s a very young person with no prior record so in that regard it would probably lean towards staying in youth court, so it’s hard to say.”
A 60-year-old tourist was driving a black Dodge Durango with his family near Morley, Alta., when he was shot on Aug. 2.
RCMP said another vehicle was passing the Durango when a shot was fired from its passenger window and into the tourist’s SUV. The Durango crashed into a ditch near the Goodstoney Rodeo Centre on Stoney Nakoda land.
Three family members in the SUV weren’t seriously injured.
The driver survived and was flown back to Germany, where surgeons removed the bullet.
Der said he doesn’t believe the public should be worried about the teen’s release.
“When we all heard about this crime for the first time you think ... it is such a serious crime but fortunately we had a very experienced judge hearing this ... who understands at this particular time that it’s just allegations,” he said.