The man behind a series of arsons and shootings that targeted people linked to the Justice Institute of B.C. has been sentenced to 13 years and six months behind bars.
Vincent Cheung, a 43-year-old Langley resident who once won millions in a home lottery, pleaded guilty to 18 counts related to the attacks last week and was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday.
The court heard Cheung was a drug addict, and that paranoid delusions prompted him to wage a campaign of terror against people even distantly connected to the Justice Institute, but Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen said that's no excuse for his behaviour.
“I accept the offender did not choose to become an addict. He did however make certain lifestyle choices. He reacted to it by using nefarious connection to wage a campaign of violence against innocent victims," Cullen said.
"His motives were rooted in delusions, his responses to those delusions are very real and very dangerous.”
Cheung’s crime spree, which consisted of 14 arsons and four shootings, is a serious offence the took a serious emotional, physical and financial toll on his victims, Cullen ruled when handing down the sentence.
With credit for time already served, Cheung’s sentence amounts to 12 more years in prison.
Crown prosecutors had requested a 15-year sentence, while Cheung’s defence argued a 10-year prison term would be more appropriate, given his struggle with addiction.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Jon Woodward
