Shane Marshall’s lawyer told a London, Ont., courtroom on Monday that his client came to a Justin Trudeau campaign stop in September 2021 to protest, not to throw stones.
Luke Reidy said Marshall, 26, has issues with impulse control and anger management that took over that day, causing him to hurl stones in Trudeau’s direction as the Liberal leader boarded a bus, about two weeks before he was re-elected as prime minister.
As part of sentencing submissions Monday, Reidy said a suspended sentence without jail time was appropriate for the St. Thomas man, who in March pleaded guilty to assault.
“Mr. Marshall had no intention to go out that day and commit this assault,” said Reidy. “He understands what he’s done and he’s remorseful.”
Reidy said his client would also agree to seek counselling for a year to address his anger issues and perform 60 days of community service.
When asked if he had anything to say, Marshall stood up and told the court he apologized “to everyone” for his actions, without naming Trudeau specifically. Trudeau was not injured in the incident during a campaign stop at a brewery in London’s east end.
Assaults hurt democracy, Crown argues
Crown attorney Jeremy Carnegie argued for a sentence that would include 30 days of jail time followed by a year’s probation.
Carnegie said assaults against politicians are also assaults on the democratic process, and could cause people to become hesitant about seeking political office.
He said a strong deterrent is needed to prevent similar attacks.
“Violence against any political candidate could hurt democracy as a whole,” said Carnegie. “The right to protest stops before we get to violence. Thirty days should show the court that he takes this offence seriously. We need to deter people from this kind of behaviour.”
Marshall is a former People’s Party of Canada riding association president. Earlier this year, his defence team lost their bid to have the prime minister testify in the case.
Marshall was originally charged with assault with a weapon, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of common assault.
The judge will consider the submissions and make a sentencing decision on May 8.
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