One of the men behind a 2016 liquor store robbery in Kelowna was sentenced this week to five years in prison.
Christopher Stocker, 28, was caught on video Jan. 17, 2016 at just after 9 a.m. entering the liquor store on Harvey Avenue and Spall Road with another man, Riley Frank.
Footage shown in court indicates that while Stocker didn’t wield a weapon like his partner in crime he was a willing participant in the act, loading up with liquor bottles and taking a handful of cash in the process.
The female cashier was clearly overwhelmed by the incident, retreating into a corner while the two men took what they wanted. As they left she doubled over, putting her hands on her knees.
The victim never participated in the court process, declining to even provide a victim impact statement. The manager of the store, however, said she never worked another shift.
As for the two men, they were found six hours later, highly intoxicated driving around with gun that had ammunition nearby.
Stocker is aboriginal and originally from Williams Lake. His lawyer declined the opportunity to enter a Gladue report on his behalf, though he did argue for less than the mandatory minimum for robbery, pointing out that Stocker had no criminal record and wasn’t carrying the gun.
That argument failed to sway Judge Peter Rogers, who in addition to applying the mandatory minimum also banned Stocker from having firearms for 10 years and ordered a DNA sample be taken.
Stocker’s accomplice Riley Frank, 30, was also sentenced to five years prison time. His case was decided on last August.
Both have been in custody since their arrests.