A man who pleaded guilty to robbing the Rooster convenience store at gunpoint in Hay River in 2016 is to be sentenced on March 26.
Cameron Bernarde, 22, pleaded guilty to robbery with a firearm last May. The .22 calibre rifle he brandished was not loaded at the time.
He appeared in Supreme Court in Yellowknife on Dec. 13. Bernarde is facing a minimum sentence of four years in prison. However, Bernarde's lawyer Peter Harte has filed a constitutional challenge arguing that a four year sentence amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. He called for a two-year sentence. Crown prosecutor Brendan Green told the judge a four-year sentence is appropriate.
The court heard Bernarde suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).