Jordan Faraj has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a shooting incident at a London patio bar two years ago that left a woman seriously injured.
In her sentencing decision Justice Kelly Gorman told the court "A loaded handgun has one function, it is used to shoot people...this gangster-style behaviour will not be tolerated in this community. It shows an absolute disregard for human life."
The 20-year-old, who was convicted of four gun offences in June, showed no emotion as the decision was read. He simply stared straight ahead.
Faraj's defense lawyer John Getliffe says "I think he steeled himself to the fact that he knew he was going to a lengthy penitentiary sentence. Whether it was a year less or a year more, he knew he was going to be going to penititentiary for a long time."
Ashley Hay, 21, was seriously injured after being caught in the crossfire outside Jack’s bar on Richmand Row in August 2011. She continues to have a bullet fragment lodged near her spine and suffers nightmares.
Gorman added that "Society must be protected from criminals armed with deadly handguns."
As for whether the judge was trying to send a message Getliffe says "That's what judges do and in this kind of a case, one could not quarrel with anything that Justice Gorman said with respect to how serious the matter was, where it took place and how it happened."
Getliffe had been asking for six to eight years in prison, while the Crown Attorney asked for 12 years.
