Jail term for preying on Clifton Hill tourists

A 17-year-old says a long-standing addiction to drugs and involvement in the “criminal underworld of Niagara Falls” led him to prey on tourists on Clifton Hill.

“What drugs are you addicted to?” a judge asked Thursday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines.

“All of them,” the teen replied. In reviewing the teen’s criminal record, Judge Harvey Brownstone noted it was “the worst youth record I’ve ever seen for someone this age.”

“And, I’ve been a judge eight years longer than you’ve been alive.”

The youth’s record includes seven convictions for assaultive behaviour and eight convictions for failing to comply with court orders.

Sitting in the prisoner’s box, the slight teen said drugs made him feel “invincible” and led him to make poor choices.

On Thursday, the young man pleaded guilty to slew of theft charges as well as a charge of assault causing bodily harm.

Over the course of four days in July, court was told, the teen would wander through the Great Canadian Midway on Clifton Hill looking for victims.

When he found someone who appeared distracted while playing an arcade game, he’d swoop in and steal their purses or wallets.

In each case, the crime was captured by video surveillance cameras.

On Aug. 17, a security officer found him inside the arcade again and apprehended him for trespassing.

The two struggled and the teen bit the security guard’s arm in an attempt to escape. The bite required hospital treatment.

The teen, who cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, said his drug addiction and “hanging out with the wrong crowd,” fuelled his criminality.

“Wrong crowd? Who? Tourists? You were alone when you committed these thefts.”

Defence lawyer Scott Buchanan asked the judge to consider imposing a penalty of time served because his client had spent 18 days in pretrial custody.

The judge called that request “sheer fantasy.”

The lawyer added his client plans to move to Scarborough where he would no longer be under the influence of the “criminal underworld” of Niagara Falls.

Assistant Crown attorney Kevin Kim suggested a jail term of 90 days would be a more appropriate sentence.

The judge acceded to the Crown’s submission and also placed the teen on probation for two years. He is not allowed to step foot on Clifton Hill for the duration of his probation.

The judge also warned the young man that if his criminal behaviour continues once he turns 18, he could be facing a penitentiary term.

“If he thinks he’s made bad friends now, he has no idea what’s waiting for him there,” Brownstone added.