Suspended sentence for Saskatchewan man who threatened prime minister Trudeau

SASKATOON – A Saskatchewan man will not have to spend any time in jail for threatening on social media to kill Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Derek Hurrell, who is 34 and from Borden, Sask., was given a two-year suspended sentence when he appeared in Saskatoon provincial court Monday.

Court heard the threat made in January on Hurrell's Facebook account said he wanted to take a gun and blow Trudeau's head off as a "public service" to Canada.

The defence told court that Hurrell is mentally ill, suffers from drug and alcohol issues and has limited contact with his family.

Hurrell, who had already pleaded guilty to a charge of uttering threats, must follow a number of conditions, including not being within 500 metres of Trudeau.

He is not allowed to possess any guns for two years, must see a psychiatrist as recommended and cannot use social media unless it's for employment or education.

“I just want to apologize for everything I've done,” a tearful Hurrell said at his sentencing hearing.

The defence said Hurrell has deleted all of his social media accounts and is looking for a job.

Lawyer Lional Kayseas said the outcome is satisfactory for him and his client.

"We came here today with the intention of seeking a non-custodial sentence and … fortunately the judge today shared our view that this was not in particular an offence that warranted jail."

Kayseas noted that Hurl accepted responsibility right from the outset and reaffirmed his guilt at the hearing.

"When people go onto social media some of the filters tend to come off and it tends to be a situation where people say things they wouldn't normally say in the course of their everyday lives," Kayseas said outside court.

"He certainly expressed regret at the comments that he made."

(CTV Saskatoon, CKOM)