Jamie Mikijuk's jail stay lengthened after Crown appeals original sentence - Action News
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Jamie Mikijuk's jail stay lengthened after Crown appeals original sentence

The man behind a 41-hour armed standoff in Iqaluit will be spending a bit more time behind bars after the Crown appealed the original sentence.

Appeal court rules judge issued "illegal sentence"

Jamie Mikijuk barricaded himself in this house for 41 hours in May 2015, firing at least 10 shots during the standoff. (Vincent Robinet/CBC)

The man behind a 41-hour armed standoff in Iqaluitwill spend a bit more time behind bars after the Crown appealed the original sentence.

JamieMikijuk, 28, was sentenced in February to four years in prison for the May 2015 incident in the Nunavut capital's Happy Valleyneighbourhood.

But JusticePaulBychokgiveMikijukcredit for offering up an "early guilty plea" and reduced the sentence by 120 days, to a total of threeyears and eight months.

The standoff forcedRCMPto put the neighbourhood intolockdown, leaving someresidents trapped at home and others unable to return home.

During the incident,which was fuelled by pot and booze, at least 10 shots were fired from inside the home whereMikijukwasbarricaded.

In the end, no one was hurt and the standoff waseventually resolved peacefully. And just over a year later, in August 2016,Mikijuk, pleaded guilty to discharging a firearm while being reckless to the life and safety of other people.

Mikijukwas also given968 days remand credit (1.5 credit days for each of the 645 days spent in detention prior to the trial).

While the remand credit is requiredby law, theCrown appealed theearly plea bonus.

For the charges Mikijuk faced,the Criminal Code requires a mandatory minimum punishment (MMP) of four years.

"The Crown submits that the trial judge erred in passing a sentence that is four months below the MMP. We agree that the trial judge imposed an illegal sentence," the appeal judgment, released Friday, stated.

As a result, Mikijuk's sentence has been reverted back to four years.

The 968 days of remand credit still stands, however, leaving him to serve 1.3 years.

Following his sentence, Mikijuk will on probation for two years with a number of conditions, primarily to abstain from alcohol andto complete 60 hours of community service.