'Pure greed': Man sentenced to 9 years for Edmonton bank explosions, robbery
A B.C. man who detonated explosives at two Edmonton banks in 2018 has been sentenced to 9 1/2 years.
Justin Byron, 41, of Salmon Arm, B.C., pleaded guilty to making explosive devices, robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault and causing an explosion with intent to cause bodily harm.
“Mr. Byron's offences were premeditated, meticulously organized and planned, and executed with precision,” Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Tamara Friesen ruled.
“He intended to cause bodily harm … and he succeeded.”
The first incident occurred in September of 2018 at Royal Bank in southwest Edmonton. No money was taken but two security guards were injured by an improvised explosive device.
The second incident took place three months later at a northeast Edmonton Scotiabank location. Two GardaWorld guards were hospitalized after another explosive device was set off and an unknown amount of money was taken.
“The robberies consisted of planned ambushes with no motivation but pure greed,” Friesen said. “He should have both known better and done better.”
At the sentencing hearing in June, one of the guards described how he is permanently scarred, still suffers from hearing problems and has suffered financial and emotional harm.
Court heard that the first attack took place just over two weeks after the birth of his son and that Byron wanted the money to help pay for medical bills.
But, Friesen noted that there was no concrete evidence that the money taken was ever used to pay for medical expenses.
“To choose the path he did when confronted with intense financial and familial health pressures -- similar to what thousands of other Canadian families are confronted with on a daily basis -- is inexplicable and unjustifiable,” Friesen said.
“It is not the kind of a choice a pro-social person would ever even consider.”
With enhanced credit for more than 2 1/2 years already served in custody, Byron has just under five years remaining on his sentence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.