A British Columbia judge has sent a message that the hundreds of Stanley Cup riot cases mounting on the court's roster could add stress to yet another part of the overburdened justice system.

A potential flood of incoming sentences for convicted rioters threatens to overwhelm probation officers who monitor community service sentences, Judge Gregory Rideout said Thursday in provincial court.

Rideout cited his concerns as he attempted to amend a sentencing ruling he issued two days earlier for the third person to be sentenced for participating in the June 15, 2011 riot.

Calling lawyers back to court in the case of 25-year-old Robert Snelgrove, the judge said he didn't want to set the wrong precedent.

"As the legion of cases comes through this building, this case will be one of the cases relied upon by one of my colleagues in relation to the element of participation (in the riot)," Rideout said, adding a sentence should rehabilitate and not simply punish a perpetrator.

He proposed reducing Snelgrove's community service portion of the sentence from 150 to 50 hours, saying he was "mindful" of B.C. Corrections staffing levels.

"And most importantly, I am trying to address resources," he said.

Cases involving 113 people are still awaiting resolution and include 22 individuals who have pleaded guilty but not yet been sentenced. Vancouver police have suggested many more charges are coming, and that could push the number of people charged to as many as 300 for their role in the riot.

Despite his concerns, long-standing legal rules blocked the judge's attempt to deal with the sentence.

A Crown lawyer said that while technical corrections are permitted, only the Crown, defence or probation officer could ask for the sentence to be altered. Those terms, for provincial court, are set out in the Criminal Code.

Outside court, Snelgrove's lawyer agreed with the legalities while chalking up the judge's move as an attempt to do "the right thing."

"Long before the riot it was a concern in this courthouse that we didn't have sufficient resources to manage the offenders and make sure that we can actually deal with rehabilitation in a proactive way instead of just having them come back again," Chandra Corriveau said.

But Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie said Corrections had not discussed lack of resources with the Criminal Justice Branch.

"The Crown's understanding is certainly (that) Corrections will be administering or supervising the hours that are imposed by the court in these cases," he said.

The Crown initially proposed Snelgrove be handed between 50 and 100 hours' community service and also asked for 30 to 90 days of jail time.

MacKenzie said the Crown would not take a position on the matter, other than saying the rules should be followed.

A call requesting comment from Corrections was not immediately returned.

Snelgrove apologized publicly through the media on three occasions after admitting to police he looted cosmetics from the Sears department store. He was sentenced to five months of house arrest in addition to the community service hours.

The judge said 150 hours, also meted out to an admitted rioter who was convicted in connection with three incidents, was not proportional to the crime and therefore inappropriate.

Ultimately, lawyers on both sides agreed the issue could be revisited after Snelgrove begins his community service several months from now. Snelgrove did not appear in court.

MacKenzie said that while each riot case is reviewed on an individual basis and according to its unique circumstances, general deterrence has been a significant consideration for the Crown up to this point.

However, he said he expects Rideout's attempt to alter the sentence will be heeded as the Crown and other judges look at previous ruling as they make their decisions.

"It's not something that will be ignored, that nuance is something we'll be aware of as the future cases proceed," MacKenzie said.

Corriveau urged forgiveness from the community, in spite of the scars from the riot.

"As we move forward, I think what people need to remember is that the criminal law is not about vengeance," she said. "It's about justice and it's about reparation to the community. There is a punitive aspect, but at the end of the day the least restrictive sanction is one of the most fundamental principles of sentencing."