JUDGE PUTS OFF JAIL AFTER 'SHARK-BAIT' RANT

North Vancouver provincial court Judge Judith Gedye took 45 minutes
last Wednesday to warn a 20-year-old North Vancouver drug addict about
just how close he was to becoming "shark-bait" in jail.

The judge then put him on probation for 24 months with a lengthy list
of conditions.

Shaun Richard Skorupa, now living in Abbottsford with his mother, had
pleaded guilty on July 18 to possessing crystal methamphetamine for
the purpose of trafficking, two charges of possessing property
obtained by crime and three charges of failing to comply with an
undertaking.

The pale-faced, slightly-built Skorupa winced several times as Gedye
told him, "You wouldn't do well in jail. You're a prime candidate for
shark-bait. I think you'd be in protective custody within minutes of
meeting your first jail mate."

Gedye continued her admonitions by saying, "I don't think you're very
street-smart. Losing money in the drug trafficking world is virtually
unheard of. You're not successful as a criminal. You're easy to catch
and you're easy to get a search warrant for."

Before handing him a 24-month term of probation, Gedye told Skorupa,
"This is a break. Use this situation as a significant turning point in
your life otherwise you won't survive the addiction and you won't
survive the jail sentence."

A pre-sentence report on Skorupa referred to in court by Gedye
disclosed that he began using drugs and alcohol when he was 12.

Thereafter, he became involved in the North Vancouver drug scene and
became known to the police as "a night-or-day, low-level dealer" who
had lost money at drug dealing - largely because of his own addiction
to crystal methamphetamine.

Skorupa ran afoul of the law in North Vancouver on Sept. 6, 2002, when
police raided a residence at 236 East 17th St. and seized drug
paraphernalia, scales, sales score sheets, a small amount of cash,
ammunition and 3.1 grams of crystal methamphetamine with an estimated
street value of $700.

Police arrested Skorupa and charged him with possession of a
controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Less than six months later, Skorupa was arrested again when police
executed a search warrant at 203-1555 West 13th St. in North
Vancouver. According to Crown prosecutor Jaycee Henderson, in the
course of this search, among other items, police seized:

- - nine-tenths of a gram of crystal methamphetamine;

- - a strong box with cheques totaling $2,333 belonging to other
people;

- - 19 blank cheques in various people's names;

- - credit cards in the names of various people;

- - 16 valid cheques totaling $4,673;

- - mailbox keys;

- - 30 pieces of mail;

- - two cellphones;

- - two rounds of .22-calibre ammunition.

Skorupa's lawyer, David Silverman, told Gedye that his client was a
self-admitted drug user and all the offences supported his habit.

"He was by no means a kingpin," Silverman said. "He told me that he
lost most of the money."

Skorupa's mother told Gedye she has seen "a profound change" in her
son over the last eight months, noting that he was attending school
and "is trying hard to change his mind set and his behaviour."

Skorupa's recent past, she said, "all add up to a foolish, poor and
highly-criminal lifestyle."

Gedye then ordered Skorupa to either stay in school or find work, and
to stay off non-prescription drugs. She imposed a10-year firearms
prohibition and instructed him to take counselling. He was ordered to
do 100 hours of community work during the first year of his probation.
The judge also ordered that everything police had seized in the course
of the investigation was to be forfeited.