“What you did, Mr. Bushby, was not brave. It was not masculine. It was not impressive,” said Helen Pierce, Justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario, when giving reasons for eight years in prison.

“This has not made our community better. When you attack the dignity of another person, something happens-you lose your dignity in the process. This is what happened here. The trailer hook, When she is aiming at a vulnerable woman on the street, she cannot protect herself. You do this to avoid the safety of the vehicle, so you can drive away.”

Royal lawyers have been seeking sentences ranging from 8 to 12 years, while defense lawyers have been seeking sentences of four years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sentence was postponed in May.

“We are all interested in this sentence and the message it conveys,” Pierce said at the beginning of the sentencing hearing. “Some people think this sentence is not strict enough. Others think it is too strict. Although criminal law is not a forum for solving social errors, it is a means of emphasizing community values.”

The victim “a lamp in the dark”

In the early morning of January 29, 2017, Bushby, then 18, was a passenger in a vehicle driving along Mackenzie Street on the south side of the city. Busby is drunk and once said he wants to drive and yell at sex. Trade workers.

When Kentner and her sister were walking on the street in a residential area, the metal tow hook was thrown out and hit her in the abdomen.

The evidence provided during the trial showed that Bushby exclaimed that he “got one” after hitting Kentner with the trailer hitch.

She underwent surgery and died on July 4, 2017. A forensic pathologist testified that the injuries accelerated her death.

“Ms. Kentner is loved and missed very much,” Pierce said. “Cheryl Kentner described her sister Barbara as a beam of light in the dark. A beautiful beam of light. Someone she can rely on. The family missed her voice, they missed Her physical presence and the joy she brings to their lives.”

Bushby admitted to towing the trailer and pleaded guilty of serious assault at the beginning of the trial.

Throwing things “disgusting activity”

The Royal Counsel argued that Bushby’s actions were based on prejudice and prejudice against women, while the defense insisted that Bushby did not know that the Kentner sisters were women.

Pierce described the incident as a “driving attack”. He stood on the official side and pointed out that Bushby wanted to harass the female members of the sex trade, and his ecstasy after the towing breakdown hit Kentner.

Pierce said: “In doing so, you minimize women, disrespect them, and make them feel insecure. Your behavior is an insult to all women.”

“The court was also told that the natives of Thunder Bay would often throw things at them from passing cars. Eggs, drinks, bottles, bricks, garbage. You have joined this disgusting activity. Now we can Add tow hooks to the list.”

At the end of the sentencing hearing, Pierce agreed to the defense lawyer George Joseph’s request that Bushby be able to hug his family before being detained.