Crown counsel is seeking somewhere in the middle between six and 13 years in prison for a man who participated in a home invasion in which an elderly woman was bound and gagged with duct tape.
In September, Dillon Benjamin Ertmoed, 24, was found guilty of offences related to the August 2012 incident, largely on the basis of DNA from two pop bottles and a cigarette butt found at the scene.
That Ertmoed left the items behind displayed a "cavalier attitude" towards the commission of the offence, further augmented by the fact he later boasted to someone else about taking part, the court was told during a sentencing hearing Thursday.
Other aggravating factors included putting a 62-year-old woman through a half-hour ordeal that began when at least two people entered her South Ogilvie home and covered her face with a pillow, cutting off her ability to breath for a short period, then duct taped her wrists, ankles and mouth.
They made off with her car, a gun safe holding some restricted firearms, a large-screen television and her deceased husband's wedding ring, the court was also told, and only the car has since been recovered.
The plan was hatched after the perpetrators learned her son, who owned the guns, would be away that night.
Ertmoed did not have a criminal record at the time, but within a month had also taken part in a smash and grab at a local jewelry store.
For that, Ertmoed was sentenced to 27 months in jail and, while out on parole, committed a robbery in Jan. 2014 for which he was sentenced to 27 days in jail for theft $5,000 or under. He was also ordered to provide his DNA to the national database, which provided the evidence that led to the latest conviction.
He also breached his parole twice for using cocaine but was not a frequent drug user at the time, Crown submitted.
Given a chance to speak, Ertmoed differed with that characterization, saying he was a heavy user and has "very little recollection" of what happened at the time.
By age 13, Ertmoed was using drugs and, as a result, was expelled from various schools and failed to complete his education.
He was also described as a "bit player" rather than the instigator of the offence and did not appear to be committed to a long-term criminal lifestyle.
Ertmoed said he's since taken steps to turn his life around and has almost completed his schooling.
An accomplice in the home invasion, Dohn William Schmidt, was sentenced in May 2013 to four years and four months in prison.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ron Tindale will issued his decision on sentencing on Tuesday morning.
