UN Gang Associate Receives Under Eight-Year Sentence for Role in Murder Plot
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has sentenced a UN gang associate to less than eight years in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to kill rival gang members during a violent drug war that plagued the Lower Mainland for years.
Joint Submission Leads to Reduced Sentence
Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence lawyers that resulted in Conor D'Monte, now 48, receiving a 15-year sentence with credit for more than seven years of pretrial custody. The final sentence amounts to just under eight years of actual prison time.
The sentencing occurred on Wednesday, fifteen years after D'Monte was initially charged with plotting to kill Jonathan, Jarrod, and Jamie Bacon - members of a rival gang aligned with the Red Scorpions.
Violent Gang Conflict Background
Justice Holmes detailed how the offence stemmed from "a protracted and violent conflict between rival criminal organizations" that began around 2006. The UN gang on one side and the Bacon brothers gang aligned with Red Scorpions on the other were "vying for control of the drug trade and drug territory in the Lower Mainland."
The conflict continued for years with what Holmes described as "a horrifying number of shootings that killed or seriously wounded members or associates of each of the gangs, as well as uninvolved members of the community."
D'Monte's Significant Role in Conspiracy
Between January 2008 and mid-February 2009, D'Monte played what Justice Holmes called "a significant role" in the murder conspiracy. His activities included:
- Collecting and disseminating information about members and associates of the Bacon brothers and Red Scorpions
- Providing the UN gang with information used to locate and track targets for execution
- Supplying licence plate numbers and vehicle descriptions to would-be killers
- Providing residential addresses of targets
- Aiding killers to obtain encrypted devices used while tracking their prey
Devastating Community Impact
Justice Holmes emphasized the profound consequences of the conspiracy, stating it "had devastating effects for the community." The gang violence created what she described as "seemingly unending back-and-forth" violence that killed or injured many people while putting uninvolved community members at risk.
The conspiracy also "disrupted the community's sense of stability and security" and consumed "massive amounts of public resources" through investigations, prosecutions, and medical care for victims.
Specific Victims Named
The court heard about specific victims caught in the crossfire of the gang war. Jonathan Barber, a 23-year-old stereo installer, was gunned down in May 2008 while driving a vehicle owned by one of the Bacon brothers. Kevin LeClair, a Bacon associate, was fatally shot in a busy shopping mall in February 2009.
Justice Holmes noted that families of victims "were left to deal with the terrible consequences" of the violence, with their pain compounded by the public nature of the crimes playing out "over many, many years."
The sentencing marks another chapter in British Columbia's long-running gang wars that have claimed numerous lives and traumatized communities throughout the province.
