St. John’s, Newfoundland – Five young individuals, aged 14 to 18, have faced charges or convictions in connection with a violent attack at Prince of Wales Collegiate last year. Two of the young offenders, who were convicted of aggravated assault, received sentences of 18 and 24 months in custody, a little over a year after a high school student was severely injured in the assault.
During the hearing, both convicted teens admitted to the attack with weapons that occurred outside the school. Due to their status as minors at the time of the incident, their identities have been protected. However, details of the case are under a publication ban until the involvement of the adult accused, Tyler Greening, is addressed in court in April.
Prosecutors had recommended the maximum sentence of 24 months for one of the teens and 18 months for the other. Judge James Walsh followed these suggestions, but one of the teens did not receive credit for time served, resulting in a remaining sentence of about a year at a youth detention center in Whitbourne. This sentence includes six months under community supervision followed by six months of probation. The other teen has four months left in detention before transitioning to two months of community supervision and one year of probation.
Following the sentencing, Judge Walsh mentioned the impact of the offenders’ actions, describing it as an act of “violence, shock, and fear.” He emphasized the avoidability of the situation, expressing sympathy for the victim’s family and the school community affected by the attack.
In total, five offenders between the ages of 14 to 18 were charged in connection with the assault at Prince of Wales Collegiate. Two other minors previously pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and were sentenced to 24 and 18 months in January. The incident serves as a reminder of the consequences of violence within school communities.