A Windsor judge delivered a stark message this Christmas Eve, doubling the proposed prison sentence for a man who terrorized local convenience stores with a knife. Luke Lachance, 37, faced a recommended two-year jail term, but Justice Scott Pratt deemed it woefully insufficient, imposing a four-year sentence instead.
Lachance pleaded guilty to a month-long spree targeting nine Circle K stores, brazenly threatening clerks and demanding cash. Often unmasked, his image was repeatedly captured by security cameras, a chilling record of his escalating crimes. While lawyers argued he was “self-medicating” for mental illness and addiction, the judge saw a different truth.
Justice Pratt directly challenged the narrative of mental illness as the primary driver of the robberies, stating the argument “ignores the facts.” Lachance himself admitted to needing money to fuel a drug habit, a crucial detail that swayed the judge’s decision. This case stands as a rare instance of a Canadian judge rejecting a joint submission from both the Crown and defence.
The judge’s concern wasn’t simply about punishing Lachance, but about protecting vulnerable store clerks and sending a clear message of deterrence. He emphasized the need to avoid bringing the administration of justice into “public disrepute” with a lenient sentence. The crimes only ceased when Windsor police connected Lachance to the scene through a discarded cigarette package bearing his fingerprints.
Despite acknowledging the importance of joint submissions in streamlining the court system, Justice Pratt insisted efficiency couldn’t come at the expense of justice. A pre-sentence report revealed a complex picture: strong family support and potential for rehabilitation, shadowed by a significant risk of violence when Lachance wasn’t on medication – a condition he was facing during the robberies.
Lachance’s history revealed a long struggle with substance abuse, beginning with marijuana at age 12 and escalating to cocaine by 17. Periods of sobriety were repeatedly broken by relapses with methamphetamine, alcohol, and cocaine. A diagnosis of schizophrenia came much later, at age 33, adding another layer to his troubled past.
With credit for time already served, Lachance now faces over three years remaining on his sentence. He was also issued a lifetime ban on possessing weapons and ordered to provide a DNA sample. The judge’s final words offered a glimmer of hope: “Let this be the end of a dark chapter.”
Outside the courthouse, Lachance’s lawyer reported his client accepted the sentence with composure, stating, “He said it is what it is and he’s willing to do his time.” Now stabilized on medication and under supervision, Lachance expressed a newfound clarity, claiming, “He said now he knows what reality is.”
