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TORONTO –
With the nation’s highest court ruling the Quebec city mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette would be eligible for parole after 25 years, legal experts say this will affect over a dozen similar cases.
Bissonnette, who is serving a life sentence for killing six Muslim men in 2017, was handed the ruling on Friday after the Supreme Court unanimously voted that his period of parole ineligibility was unconstitutional.
Individuals who have been given life sentences with no chance of parole for more than 25 years may now be able to apply for a reduction in parole ineligibility.
Among the cases affected include Justin Bourque, who killed three RCMP Moncton officers in 2014. Bourque was sentenced to 75 years in prison under three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. His lawyer told CTVNews Atlantic the ruling is a “faint” hope for rehabilitation in Bourque’s case.
Alek Minassian’s case is likely to be affected also, as an Ontario judge delayed his sentencing in anticipation for the ruling on Bissonnette. Minassian was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder for killing 10 people in the 2018 Toronto van attack.
CTV National News reporter Vanessa Lee discusses the possible fallout from the Supreme Court ruling in the video at the top of this article.
With files from CTV News Montreal and CTV News Atlantic.
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