A B.C. provincial court judge has ruled that cameras will not be allowed in court for a sentencing hearing in a Vancouver Stanley Cup riot trial.

Provincial court Judge Malcolm MacLean dismissed an application to televise the hearing for Ryan Dickinson, 20.

The Coquitlam resident, who was 20 at the time of the June 15 riot, pleaded guilty last month to participating in the riot and breach of recognizance related to a previous assault charge. Dickinson has been held in custody since December.

On Friday, MacLean had indicated he might rule against the application, saying he had concerns about the technology, the safety of the court and the "chilling" effect the cameras may have on witnesses.

47 charged in riot

The question of whether court cases should be televised and if cameras should be allowed in courtrooms has a long history in Canada.

Between 1993 and 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada allowed three high-profile cases to be televised, including B.C. resident Sue Rodriguez's fight for the right to assisted suicide.

The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal also ran a two-year pilot project in the 1990s during which eight criminal appeals were recorded by TV cameras.

Judges will have to decide whether to broadcast each Stanley Cup riot case individually, and MacLean said Monday that he doesn't expect other judges to be bound by his decision, as they may have different views regarding the televising of court proceedings.

The rioters tore through the city on June 15 last year, smashing windows, looting and burning after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Bruins.

In the days after the riot, B.C. Premier Christy Clark vowed that rioters would face justice and said the government would ask the courts to broadcast the hearings of those expected to be charged.

The Crown has approved 129 criminal charges against 47 accused rioters, and Vancouver police say many more charges are coming.

With files from the CBC's Leah Hendry and The Canadian Press