Pat King gets 3-month conditional sentence plus time served

Pat King, a key organizer of the 2022 convoy protest in downtown Ottawa, got a three-month conditional sentence on Wednesday after the judge accounted for time already served in jail.

In November, King was convicted in Ontario Superior Court on five criminal charges: mischief, counselling to commit mischief, counselling to obstruct a public or peace officer, and two counts of disobeying a court order.

Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland found King "personally led a large convoy" and was an "active participant" with supporters in disrupting Ottawa services and bringing the "core of the city to a standstill" in January and February 2022.

Hackland said in his sentencing decision that King had accepted "minimal responsibility" but offered a "sincere apology" for his actions.

The courtroom was filled with supporters of King, alongside media, police, lawyers and a few members of the general public who are following developments in convoy trials.

King is expected to serve his 90-day period of house arrest in Alberta, but his lawyer told court he has found employment at a social media company in Quebec. He is expected to move to the Montreal-area after his conditional sentence ends.

Crown prosecutor Moiz Karimjee said King's offences were of the "worst kind" and asked for a 10-year sentence, the maximum penalty for mischief.

King's defence requested time-served, citing the days he spent behind bars after his February 2022 arrest.

The Alberta native was given a 12-month sentence Wednesday, with nine months credit for time served in jail and under restrictive bail conditions. Conditions for the other three months include being on good behaviour and checking in with the court.

King is the first convicted leader of the Freedom Convoy to face significant punishment. Others, including Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are awaiting the outcomes of their trials.

King did not speak publicly following the sentencing, with his lawyer Natasha Calvinho citing his restrictive bail conditions.

"We hope to get that lifted very soon," she said. "Mr. King will get his voice back."

King's sentence struck the correct balance "between what Mr. King did and what Mr. King didn't do," Calvinho said.

The 10-year sentence sought by the Crown would have made King "a political prisoner", she said. "They would be sentencing Mr. King for the sum total of everything that was done by every individual in the Freedom Convoy."