Ahmed Hassan, a participant in a string of robberies — two of which occurred the University of Waterloo campus — has been sentenced to 11 months of jail.
In April 2015, Hassan and at least two others targeted three different students and robbed them, twice while threatening with a handgun, according to a Waterloo Chronicle article. The students who were robbed also suffered minor injuries.
According to police reports, Hassan, along with two others, were caught after a third robbery which occurred near Laurier. Details about the other two alleged robbers remain scarce, as police reports indicate they were minors at the time of the incident.
Hassan’s fate was finalized Jan. 16 by Justice Gary Hearn, who said that the sentence would be “unpleasant” and “difficult” for Hassan.
A first-time offender, Hassan supposedly played a minor role in the robberies, and given his lack of prior record, Hearn found his conduct “inexplicable.”
As a part of his sentence, Hassan was also put on three years’ probation, and is prohibited from owning a weapon or contacting the other robbers.
According to the Waterloo Chronicle, it is unlikely Hassan will serve the full sentence, given the guilty plea he made last September and his good behaviour since the offence. Hassan’s defence lawyer said the Conestoga student hopes to return to school by September. .
At the time of the robberies, UW’s campus police released a statement warning students to be “cautious and observant” while walking on campus at night.
According to an article published in The Record, the on-campus robberies occurred near Village 1 and Beck Hall at UW Place.
The final robbery occurred near Laurier, by Hickory, and the robbers were arrested shortly thereafter.
Imprint contacted campus police to address the robberies and student safety, but police were unavailable for comment.
