BREAKING: Freedom Convoy protestor Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence, no jail time

Freedom Convoy protester Pat King has been sentenced to a three-month conditional sentence of house arrest with no jail time in Ottawa’s Provincial courthouse. Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland delivered his decision at the Ottawa Courthouse on Friday morning. Hackland said there was “no precedent” for this case or trial but said a “deterrent sentence was needed” in his summation prior to delivering his sentence.

The judge noted that there is “no shortage of people who think their cause is correct” to the point of breaking the law. “Allowing citizens to break the law as they see fit is antithetical to a safe and just society.”

Hackland found King guilty on five charges on Nov. 22: two counts of disobeying a court order and one each of mischief, counselling to commit mischief and counselling to obstruct a public or peace officer.

Hackland found King not guilty on four charges: three of intimidation and counselling to commit intimidation, and one of obstructing a public or peace officer.

In his guilty verdict decision, Hackland found King "personally led a large convoy" and was an "active participant" with supporters in disrupting Ottawa services, bringing the "core of the city to a stand still."

Defense lawyer Natasha Calvinho told The Post Millennial that the judge’s sentencing “confirmed” what she “was expecting. I didn't know how much more time, but I suspected the judge would give him the conditional sentence order on top of the dead time but that wasn't, you know, it's not guaranteed,” she said.

Calvinho said there was a fear from some, including King, that he would “be going to jail … if the judge didn't listen to what I thought were my very well reasoned arguments. But we had a very, very experienced, good judge, right? He was quite fair, and I think he struck absolutely the right balance for what he found. I mean, keeping in mind, do we necessarily agree with convictions, not necessarily, but for what he convicted him of? Yeah, this is a fit and just sentence, and I would never say anything different.”

“I think the big takeaway from all of this is that it's been a high stress situation for everybody, right from the mandates through to the trials, the Convoy, all of it, regardless of what side you fall on whether you're right or left or somewhere in the middle. And it just feels good to have a conclusion,” she said.

The guilty verdict was based substantially on social media videos posted by King that the Crown presented as evidence. These showed his involvement in planning the protests from January 2022 until his arrest on Feb. 18, 2022.

"His participation, and indeed his organizational and leadership activities are extensively documented in Mr. King's own social media in the form of videos made exhibits of this trial," Hackland told the court last November, saying King’s videos were foundational to his verdict as they documented King’s objectives and conduct during the Convoy protest.

"Mr. King's status as a recognized Freedom Convoy organizer and leader increased the risk that he would be listened to," he added.

King was expecting sentencing on Jan. 16, 2025, but the testimony exceeded the court time allotted. Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee had indicated that he was seeking the maximum punishment for King, with a mischief conviction allowing up to 10 years of incarceration.

Prominent Freedom Convoy protesters Chris Barber and Tamara Lich, whose mischief trial lasted for a full year, are awaiting a judge’s verdict on March 12. Anticipating that decision and reflecting upon the protest that resulted in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoking the draconian Emergencies Act, Barber told The Post Millennial, “I've met so many amazing people across the country in the last three years, and I am very appreciative for all the support we have. Tamara and I have said, the world's longest mischief trail in Canada, but we're still standing, and will continue to stand and come March 12, regardless of the decision … We've saved a lot of lives through the Convoy, and we made a lot of good friends and woke a lot of people up. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.”