For almost three years, Travis Bailey has lived with open hate for the teenager who fired a shotgun blast into the back of his head. Yesterday, he watched Thomas Riordan, 20, walk out of court in shackles to begin a 6 1/2-year prison term for attempting to murder him.
Only one hour earlier, Bailey watched as the same man who nearly killed him was sentenced to life in prison without chance for parole for 14 years for murdering a young Waterdown man later that year. Under Canadian law, both sentences run at the same time.
"I'm glad it's done. I can finally sleep easy," Bailey said. "Now I know justice has been served." Three years ago, on May 7, 2006, Bailey was a hardworking father who'd separated from his partner. By 10 p.m., after a long day nailing shingles, Bailey had kicked off his boots and was partying with his roommates and girlfriend. He heard about a scuffle at his apartment earlier that day when someone showed up looking to collect a drug debt from a tenant and had been run off by another tenant brandishing a pool cue. When he heard someone down below on the back stairway knocking loudly, he stepped out of his apartment door and looked down and saw an angry Riordan standing there demanding to know where the guy was. Bailey told him he didn't know who the guy was.
Riordan in a paranoid rage started swearing, delusional that Bailey was hiding the guy. Riordan started to walk away, then, spun on his heel, pulled out a shotgun, cocked it and fired.
Then the life sentence for Bailey started. The blast left him blind in his right eye and paralyzed on his left side. His appearance is that of an elderly stroke survivor, 23 surgeries, endless rehabilitation has left him battling long bouts of depression, severe memory loss and seizures.
The acquired brain injury has left him with seizures, and sudden falls are a constant worry, even with his walker. But what hit him hardest was losing precious years with his young children during their most formidable years. Instead of birthday cake and trips to see Santa, Bailey's family had to endure trips to various care homes and rehabilitation centres.
Thomas Riordan
It's sad that second-degree and attempted murder only gets you 14 years in this country but that's the gift the Canadian justice system gave Thomas Riordan yesterday. The Hamilton man, now 20, was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 14 years for the second-degree murder of Michael Walsh, 22. His life sentence runs from the day he was arrested.
The victim, who worked as a general labourer for a local cement company, had gotten himself mixed up in a drug deal gone bad. The father of one child was beaten, stabbed and shot to death after four men kicked down the door to his room over the tavern shortly after midnight on Oct. 11, 2006.
Shane Riordan, 21, who stood watch while his brother and two other assailants inflicted deadly retribution, was sentenced to seven years in a penitentiary for manslaughter. He will have three years, two months left on his sentence after getting double credit for pretrial custody.
Court heard the slaying was instigated by a local drug dealer who had a beef with Walsh. Earlier on the night of the homicide, the drug dealer and four others, including the Riordan brothers and a 16-year-old getaway driver, met at a Park Street South residence.
Thomas Riordan took the rifle, the butt of which he sawed off to make it easier to conceal. Shane Riordan took a large knife, which allegedly was ultimately was used by another of the assailants. A youth, who cannot be identified, took a heavy candlestick. The group allegedly smoked pot and drank whisky to steel themselves for the assault on Walsh at the Waterdown tavern.
The Riordan brothers are a couple of remorseless cowards who should have gotten the full 25 years for second degree and 10 years for manslaughter. Two families are forever changed by a couple of drug addicts and a flawed justice system.
Later,
Kenaz
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