OTTAWA (Reuters) – A man who threw gravel at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the 2021 election campaign was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest and one year of probation by a court in Ontario on Monday, according to his lawyer.
Trudeau was hit by a handful of gravel in 2021 while on the campaign trail as he made his way past a crowd shouting their opposition to COVID-19-related mandates and restrictions. The prime minister was not injured and his Liberal Party went on to win the election.
Shane Marshall later pleaded guilty in March to a charge of common assault related to that incident.
Ontario court Justice Kevin McHugh found Marshall’s conduct had the potential to cause serious injury to a senior politician, though his remorse and lack of a criminal record were mitigating factors in the sentencing, Marshall’s lawyer, Luke Reidy, said in an email.
McHugh’s decision was well balanced and appropriate under the circumstances, Reidy said.
Marshall’s lawyers had requested that he be sentenced to 60 days of community sentence, while prosecutors had asked for a 30-day jail term.
The prosecutor in the case did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Sandra Maler)
