B.C. man expresses ‘profound remorse’ for role in Dartmouth jail beating

HALIFAX, N.S. — A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has reserved decision on the sentence a British Columbia man should receive for his involvement in a group attack on an inmate at the Dartmouth jail in December 2019.

Matthew Ross Lambert, 39, of Richmond was found guilty of aggravated assault following a trial in 2021.

Ten other men convicted of aggravated assault have already been sentenced. All received terms in the range of four to six years.

Lambert appeared in court for his sentencing hearing Wednesday in Halifax via a video link from a federal prison.

He is already serving a 16-year sentence he received in October 2020 for two other crimes.

That term included 14 years for conspiracy to import 157 kilograms of cocaine found hidden on the bottom of a container ship in Halifax Harbour in June 2018 and two years for conspiring to rob drug dealers in B.C. and Ontario after he got bail that summer.

Stephen Anderson was attacked in his cell at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility less than a half-hour after he arrived on the North 3 range on the night of Dec. 2, 2019.

Seven men, including Lambert, went into the cell to carry out the assault while others stood in the way of correctional officers to keep them from intervening.

Anderson was transported to hospital with multiple stab wounds, including one that caused a buildup of air in his chest cavity, but he recovered from his injuries.

15 men charged

A total of 15 men were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, forcible confinement, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and obstructing correctional officers. One of the men was also accused of assaulting a guard.

On Wednesday, Justice Jamie Campbell was told Lambert, after receiving remand credit, has about 10 years of his earlier sentence left to serve.

The main issue at this sentencing, lawyers agreed, is whether giving Lambert another four to six years for the aggravated assault would be unduly harsh in his circumstances.

“It really comes down to weighing totality and parity and finding a way to integrate the two,” the judge said.

Crown attorney Scott Morrison said the primary goal is to seek a sentence proportionate to the moral blameworthiness of the offender and the gravity of the offence.

“Deterrence and denunciation are the primary principles that are at play here,” Morrison told the court.

“This is obviously an offence that took place within a correctional facility, and there are key considerations there. Notably, anyone within a correctional facility deserves to be safe from harm.”

The totality of sentences must be considered in this case, the prosecutor said, but “there’s a fair bit of latitude for the trial judge in terms of how you implement that. … You have to weigh it out with parity as well.

“It sems like the general range you’ve been giving to people who were involved in this event (is) four to six years. I think that’s the range that … we’re playing with here.

“An offender is not entitled to a reduction in sentence (for additional crimes).”

‘Serious attack’

Morrison said this is not a situation where the court is dealing with a minor offence piled on top of an earlier significant offence.

“This was a serious attack within a correctional facility,” he said. “Another point (to consider) is what role did (he) play in the event? It’s worth remembering that Mr. Lambert is one of the people who entered the cell – the first one into the cell. He led the charge into the cell.

“Unlike some of the individuals you sentenced on this file, he comes before the court with a very significant criminal record. By my calculation, it was 30 convictions over 21 years, including previous crimes of violence – assault, threats and robbery.”

Defence lawyer Joven Narwal asked for a three-year sentence, saying four more years in prison would be “too crushing” for his client.

Narwal said the combined sentence of 14 years “for a man of his age is too long, and some reduction by way of the principle of totality is necessary.”

He said Lambert was prescribed medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder after he arrived at the Springhill Institution. That medication, he said, has made him more pro-social within the facility and has helped him upgrade his education.

A Vancouver forensic psychologist commissioned by the defence said the ADHD medication has made a big difference for Lambert, who in his opinion poses a low to moderate risk to reoffend.

‘Full of regret’

The last word went to Lambert, who read a statement to the court.

“I want to start this letter by expressing the deep, profound remorse I feel toward Mr. Anderson,” he said.

“I am so sorry and full of regret. I hope you can one day forgive me and my actions. My most sincere apologies.

“I also want to apologize to my family. I am ashamed that I have made their lives harder because I’m not around to take care of my daughter and help my wife with her, missing the most important years of her life.”

As he sat in his cell during a seven-month lockdown, Lambert said he reflected on everything that transpired during the incident.

“In that time, I decided that I want to embark on a strict path forward to a new life full of positivity and change,” he said.

Two other men charged in the attack – Brian James (B.J.) Marriott and Jacob Matthew Lilly – are still awaiting sentencing for aggravated assault. The Crown wants each of them declared a dangerous offender and locked up indefinitely.

Another man was found guilty only of obstruction and was handed a five-month sentence, deemed served by his time on remand.

A 15th man’s trial was delayed after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His charges were stayed in November 2022 after he was deported to Vietnam.