Lawyers for the two men convicted in the killings of four RCMP officers are asking for jail terms of under five years for the pair.

"These men did not want this event to happen, said D'Arcy Depoe, the lawyer for Shawn Hennessey. "Neither of these men are the one who shot four police officers."

Hennessy, 29, and Dennis Cheeseman, 25, pleaded guilty to four counts of manslaughter in the deaths of constables Leo Johnston, Brock Myrol, Anthony Gordon and Peter Schiemann. The four were shot dead by known police-hater James Roszko outside Mayerthorpe in March 2005. Roszko then killed himself.

Court has heard Hennessey and Cheeseman helped Roszko by giving him a gun and a ride back to the area of the shootings. The pair were originally charged with first-degree murder.

The Crown has indicated it will argue for a sentence of between 10 and 15 years in prison for each of the men.

But Cheeseman's lawyer, Peter Northcott, told court on Tuesday his client's sentence should be four years in prison minus time already served in the Edmonton Remand Centre. Depoe, calling Hennessey "frightened and intimidated," is seeking a five-year term. With time served, that would mean three years in prison.

Depoe pointed to his client's early guilty plea, which prevented a trial on scheduled to begin in April.

The judge indicated he will take a week to 10 days to rule on a sentence for Hennessey and Cheeseman. Both men were given the opportunity to address the court Tuesday afternoon.

Hennessey was emotional while addressing the court Tuesday, the first time he has shown any emotion during court proceedings.

"I would like to apologize for my involvement in this tragic event. I am truly sorry for the loss these families have suffered." Hennessey went on to say, "In no way did I mean for any harm to come to anyone."

He then sat down wiping tears from his eyes. Cheeseman however, showed little emotion and when asked if he had anything to say, Cheeseman stated, " My lawyer said everything for me in court."

Sentencing for the two men is scheduled for January 30th at 10:00 a.m.

On Monday, court heard numerous victim impact statements from the family members of the slain RCMP officers, including those from the family of Const. Peter Schiemann.

"Words cannot begin to describe the devastation I felt on March 3, 2005," said Schiemann's father, Don.