Second Cup bomber jailed
A former FLQ bomber who attacked three Second Cup outlets in Quebec because the chain's name is in English only was sentenced Friday to six months in jail.
- BACKGROUNDER: Language in Quebec
Judge Pierre Tessier said Rheal Mathieu lacked judgment, but noted that he had led a peaceful life for 25 years.
When imposing punishment, he also took into account the time Mathieu spent behind bars since his arrest last October.
- FROM OCTOBER 6, 2000: Bouchard attacks bombs in French sign fight
Mathieu was sentenced to one month in jail for the botched firebombings. He was also given six months, to be served concurrently, for possession of a sawed-off shotgun and a .38-calibre revolver.
The weapons were found loaded in a bag along with a balaclava when he was arrested.
Mathieu's lawyer, Pierre Poupart, who had requested a suspended sentence, appeared satisfied with Tessier's ruling.
The Crown had called for a 12-month sentence.
Former FLQ member
Mathieu was a member of the Front de libration du Qubec, FLQ, during the 1960s. In 1967, at the age of 20, he was sentenced to nine years in jail for two bombing deaths. He has since received a pardon.
The Crown maintained that Mathieu the leader and possibly the only member of the French-language self-defence brigade was solely responsible for the botched firebombings at the Second Cup cafes within a span of 15 minutes last October.
No one was injured.
- FROM OCTOBER 21, 2000: Ex-FLQ member arrested for firebombings
Mathieu was found not guilty last week of attempting to firebomb other businesses with English names. He was also acquitted of a charge of vandalizing the office of English-rights lawyer Brent Tyler.