One of the three teenagers who burned down the house at the corner of 100 Avenue and 104 Street in Westlock on April 23, 2013 will spend the next few years under a strict probation order.
The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was given a 24-month probation with strict conditions after pleading guilty to one count of arson and one count of willfully causing suffering to an animal at his Oct. 30 appearance in Westlock Provincial Court. The boy was 15 on the date of the fire.
“You did an awful thing,” said Judge Vaughn Myers after handing down his sentence. “It doesn’t mean you’re an awful person, just that you did an awful thing.”
Before handing down the boy’s sentence, Myers reviewed a report written about the boy, a report he said “disturbed” him.
The report indicated the boy appeared to lack empathy and concern for others, has wild mood swings and attachment issues. In addition, the report indicated the boy understands the legal and moral wrongness of his actions, but lacks remorse for what he did.
Myers added he appreciates the fact defence lawyer Bruce Lennon has said the boy has expressed remorse to him, but the report’s authors paint a different picture.
Ultimately, Myers said from all the similar reports he’s read in his career on the bench, it comes down to the answers he receives to two questions: “Why did you do it?” and, depending on that answer, “What can I do to stop it from happening again?”
To the first question, the boy replied he had wanted to follow his friends and do what they were doing.
Crown prosecutor Jeff Morrison outlined the details of what happened on April 23.
He said Westlock fire and EMS were called to a house fire at around 4:15 p.m. that day; the house was empty at the time and no one suffered any injuries. However, the boy, who lived in the house as a foster child, was missing; his duffle bag was found outside the house.
The foster parents were aware the boy had come home from school early that day because he was ill, Morrison said. The boy was later found with two other boys, all of whom were arrested.
Fire fighters described the fire as “suspicious,” reporting fires had been burning in multiple locations throughout the house.
When the fire was further investigated, it was determined an accelerant had been used, Morrison said. At least three initial fires were determined, he added — one was a pile of paper, another was a garbage bag lit on fire, the third was paper placed on the gas stove that had been turned on.
Although no one was injured in the blaze, Morrison said a dog, two cats and several guinea pigs were killed.
“It’s a troubling incident,” he said.
Also in attendance in court was the homeowner who was there to read a victim impact statement.
In the statement he detailed the emotional and physical toll the blaze had on him and his family.
The family had to watch as their home burned, he said, and it was especially devastating when the children realized their pets were still inside.
Since that day, many family members have had trouble sleeping and have been experiencing nightmares, he said.
Lennon said the boy has been in some form of custody almost exclusively since the fire. He is currently involved with Crossroads Family Services in Edmonton, and making progress there. Lennon said that progress would be lost if the boy were sentenced to time in jail.
Lennon also presented an idea he received from homeowner, that before the house is torn down, the boy accompany him inside to see the damage.
Myers included in the boy’s sentence a number of conditions beyond the standard conditions. Those include residing at the Crossroads facility or another approved location, staying enrolled in school or employed, adhering to a curfew set out by a probation officer, and writing a letter of apology to the homeowner and his family outlining why he did what he did by Dec. 31, 2013.
