The Crown has dropped an appeal against two sentences that were handed to two St. Albert teens in last's year froshing incidents.
A total of 14 teens were charged last summer after several froshing incidents.
Two youths, who can't be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty earlier this year to common assault before Provincial Court Judge Jeanne Burch handed each a judicial reprimand.
In both instances the cases were heard outside of the normal youth court sitting date. A reprimand is among the most lenient sentence a youth court judge can give an offender. The judge will normally admonish the offender verbally and require them to sign an acknowledgement of the reprimand.
In all of the other cases so far, youths were given conditional discharges, which generally require offenders to complete a number of tasks and avoid further trouble with the law over a set time frame.
In many of the froshing cases, youth have been required to write an essay about how to prevent froshing. They've also been required to write letters of apology to their victims. Provided they complete those tasks they are discharged without a criminal record.
Alison Burns, a spokesperson for Alberta Justice, said the Crown doesn't believe there is anything to gain by pursing the appeals. Given other offenders have received conditional discharges, a judicial reprimand is not outside the range of sentences, she said, adding the appeal doesn't warrant the court's time.
"They are in range enough that it wasn't in the public interest to pursue it."
In all of the froshing cases so far the Crown has sought a probationary term for the offenders. The probationary terms would have burdened them with criminal records, but were proposed to follow the same conditions of the discharges.
Fading problem?
Const. Janice Schoepp with the St. Albert RCMP said the anti froshing message appears to have come through.
"We haven't any froshing incidents reported to us so far this year."
She said the detachment has worked hard in past and stepped up their efforts last year to get the message out and they think it is working.
"We did a lot of education last year and we want people to remember that froshing is assault."
A handful of the other froshing cases remain before the courts and are scheduled to be heard at the next youth court sitting date.
