A man with a lengthy record of drug dealing was sentenced Wednesday to a further 477 days behind bars for selling cocaine and heroin out of his home in a Prince George trailer park.
In all, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ron Tindale sentenced James Edward Hammer, 61, to three years in jail - the maximum term possible for the offence - but he received credit of 618 days for time spent in custody prior to sentencing.
Hammer's sentencing was delayed for two weeks while he underwent surgery for a life-threatening ailment. Tindale had said the outcome could influence his decision and on Wednesday he was presented with a doctor's note saying the surgery was successful.
Hammer pleaded guilty to trafficking after he was arrested in April 2014 during a drug bust at the location in the 3400-block of Westwood Drive.
Police seized $3,536 worth of cocaine in rock form and $816 worth of heroin, making Hammer a street level dealer.
However, he had been convicted and sentenced for a similar offence just 14 months before.
As a consequence, Crown prosecution argued for a three-year term less credit for time served.
Defence counsel argued for a sentence between time served and an additional four months, noting Hammer has not been able to work since undergoing triple bypass surgery 11 years ago, yet has not qualified for a disability pension.
Tindale acknowledged Hammer's decision to plead guilty but noted concerns raised in a pre-sentence report regarding Hammer's willingness to reform combined with his lengthy criminal record.
In February 2013, Hammer was sentenced to 17 months in jail for trafficking and possession of a prohibited weapon from a July 2011 incident that saw police uncover powdered cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and morphine as well as an assortment of weapons.
His brother, Joseph William Hammer, 54, who had remained in custody since his arrest 20 months before, was sentenced to one more day in jail for possession for the purpose of trafficking from the same incident.
In September 2011, Joseph Hammer escaped sentencing after he was found guilty of trafficking cocaine from an October 2007 incident because the case took too long to conclude.
Prince George provincial court Judge Michael Brecknell, who blamed a lack of resources for the 43 months it took to reach a verdict, called Hammer an "unrepentant drug dealer" but found he still remained entitled to a verdict in a timely manner under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
