In March of 2021 a video of a minor being tortured on camera spread across Facebook like wildfire. 33 year old Oliver Sutherland and 24 year old Erlin Smith were arrested and charged for kidnapping and wounding the 15 year old minor, but today those men were freed.
The video captures a sequence of events where both Sutherland and Smith cut off the minor's pinky finger, shocked him, burned him with hot wax and hit him multiple times.
Both men appeared before Justice Derick Sylvester in the high court this morning and entered into a plea bargain with the crown, where they both pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of wounding.
Both men have been on remand for the past 4 years and were represented in court by Leeroy Banner who submitted that since their incarceration both men have participated in a total of 17 programs while on remand.
Justice Sylvester took into consideration the time they had served on remand. He sentenced Sutherland to a 2 year suspended sentence or face 6 months imprisonment on the condition that he must stay out of trouble. Both men walked free from court today and both acknowledged that what they did was wrong and they are grateful to be given a second chance now that they have changed.
Sutherland was also ordered to pay compensation to the victim's father in the sum of $2,500 which he must pay within six months from today or face 1 year imprisonment in default.
The victim of that torture, Trevor Thompson was murdered two years later in 2023.
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