Lawyers negotiate sentence for teen who pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism
Lawyers at the centre of a terrorism-related court proceeding involving a Manitoba teenager say they are close to having a joint recommendation on a sentence to present a judge.
The boy, a 17-year-old from western Manitoba, was initially expected to be sentenced by a judge in Brandon, Man., Tuesday morning, however the Public Prosecution Service of Canada told CBC News on Monday that it was being delayed.
The teen was 16 when he was arrested and charged in Brandon last November for using social media to express support for the Islamic militant group ISIS.
Federal crown attorney Ian Mahon filed two psychiatric reports with the court Tuesday morning. A pre-sentence report has also been completed and lawyers are now waiting on one final report for the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Program, which helps youth convicted of serious offences rehabilitate into the community.
The teen was brought into the courtroom by sheriffs for Tuesday's appearance and sat quietly in the prisoner's box in grey prisoner scrubs while lawyers spoke about the case.
He entered a guilty plea in a Winnipeg courtroom in September to a charge of counselling the commission of an indictable offence at the direction of, or in association with, a terrorist group.
Mahon told reporters after the teen's appearance that all options for a sentence are still on the table, including more jail time. He has been in custody since his arrest.
Sentencing is now expected to occur in mid-November.
