A man who pleaded guilty to shooting a gun at a Coquitlam karaoke bar in 2006 will spend 17 more months behind bars.
Sae Kwan Lee, who also goes by the name Tony Lee, was charged in March 2009 with a number of weapons offences stemming from an incident at the Plus Karaoke Bar on North Road.
He pleaded guilty in Port Coquitlam provincial court to committing mischief by discharging the weapon and possession of a restricted firearm, and was sentenced to 30 months, minus 13 months' credit for time served.
In his oral reasons for sentencing, Judge David St. Pierre wrote that in coming to his decision, it was important to balance the potential for rehabilitation while deterring the use of weapons to solve disputes.
The judge said Lee's youth and the fact this was his first criminal conviction were mitigating factors in the decision. But St. Pierre wrote that Lee later bragged about the incident, showing a lack of remorse for his actions.
"That sentence is, in my view, a balance of trying to take into account the seriousness of guns but also the fact that he is very young, he has never had a criminal conviction and it is not time to give up on Mr. Lee," he said.
Lee also received a lifetime prohibition for owning or possessing a firearm and will have to provide a DNA sample to the court. The gun was also forfeited.
The shooting took place in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, 2006 while people were leaving the karaoke bar.
In the reasons for sentencing, St. Pierre wrote that Lee was unhappy at being asked to leave the bar at closing time because it interfered with his birthday party. Two people were hit with shrapnel after Lee fired several rounds into the entrance way of the club.
While many witnesses were interviewed after the incident, only one civilian witness, Brian Lim, gave evidence to the court. Lee wanted to install credit card skimmers at Lim's bar, the judge wrote. During the course of those conversations, Lee revealed to Lim details about the night club shooting.
"Mr. Lee used that incident to create a significant air of oppression and fear later in his dealing with Mr. Lim," St. Pierre wrote. "Mr. Lee is not being sentenced for any threats or extortion attempts but the circumstances of Mr. Lee's lifestyle and activities during that time period cannot be ignored."
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
