St. Thomas, Ont., man sentenced to house arrest, probation for throwing rocks at Trudeau

The man who threw gravel at Justin Trudeau during a federal election campaign stop in London, Ont., in 2021 was sentenced Monday to 90 days of house arrest and a year of probation.

Ontario court Justice Kevin McHugh said Shane Marshall's actions were the "manifestation of mob mentality" that threatened  Trudeau's safety, and the safety and security of Canadians.

"His actions were anti-democratic and need to be denounced in the strongest terms," McHugh said.

Marshall, 26, of St. Thomas, Ont., was originally charged with assault with a weapon, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of common assault. He was charged for hurling stones at Trudeau on Sept. 6, 2021, about two weeks before the Liberal leader won another term as prime minister.

Marshall is a former People's Party of Canada riding association president. Earlier this year, his defence team lost their bid to have Trudeau testify in the case.

As part of sentencing submissions, Marshall's lawyer, Luke Reidy, argued his client has issues with impulse control and anger management that took over the day of the rock-throwing incident. Reidy said a suspended sentence without jail time was appropriate.

Crown attorney Jeremy Carnegie argued for a sentence that would include 30 days of jail time followed by a year's probation.

Carnegie said assaults against politicians are also assaults on the democratic process, and could cause people to become hesitant about seeking political office.

Marshall apologized to "everyone" for his actions during the court proceedings, without naming Trudeau specifically. Trudeau was not injured in the incident, which occurred outside a brewery in London's east end.

Outside court after the sentencing, Reidy called the decision fair. 

"Shane has acknowledged how serious this was and how dangerous it could have been. Someone could have been seriously injured. His goal now is to find ways to deal with his emotions through counselling and make sure nothing like this happens again."

Marshall's focus will be on managing his emotions so he can "go back to a life where he is participating in politics in a healthy way."

Leading up to his decision, McHugh went through several other cases where people attacked politicians, including incidents where pies were thrown at former prime minister Jean Chrétien and former Alberta premier Ralph Klein. 

The judge said Marshall is young, it was his first offence and he uses marijuana on a daily basis.