*Canadian National Gravel Throwing Champion Shane Marshall!*
Trudeau gravel-thrower sentenced to 90 days house arrest, one year probation
Story by The Canadian Press
LONDON, Ont. — An Ontario man who threw gravel at Justin Trudeau during an election campaign rally was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest on Monday, with a judge denouncing the 2021 assault as an "expression of mob mentality."
Shane Marshall was handed a 90-day conditional sentence and one year of probation at his sentencing in London, Ont.
The former local riding executive for the People’s Party of Canada admitted to throwing gravel at Trudeau as he boarded a campaign bus to leave a protest-marred rally in London ahead of the September 2021 election. Trudeau was hit by some of the gravel, the judge said, but left uninjured.
Justice Kevin McHugh said acts of violence against public figures are "anti-democratic and need to be denounced in the strongest terms."
"This was not an expression of political beliefs. It was a manifestation of mob mentality, which if left unchecked allows anarchy to prevail," McHugh said as he issued Marshall's sentence.
Marshall, 26, pleaded guilty to common assault in March, on the same day his case was set to go to trial and after a failed attempt to get Trudeau to testify. Marshall was originally charged with assault with a weapon.
His lawyer, Luke Reidy, applauded the sentence as fair and balanced, saying Marshall acknowledged the seriousness and potential danger of his actions. The Crown had asked for a 30-day jail sentence.
"His goal now is to find a way to deal with his emotion, through counselling and to make sure this never happens again," Reidy said outside the London courthouse.
Asked whether Marshall had any plans to attend People’s Party of Canada political rallies, Reidy said "he has no immediate plans for that."
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