A man who was originally charged with 16 robberies across the Lower Mainland – including in Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack, Surrey and Maple Ridge – has been sentenced to nine years in prison, most of which he has already served.

Clint Aaron Jeremy Billy, 37, was recently sentenced in provincial court after pleading guilty to nine counts of robbery, three counts of using an imitation firearm, one count one count of possession of an imitation handgun and one count of breaching bail.

Billy was given nearly seven years of credit for the time he spent in custody, leaving him with two more years to serve.

Billy and another man, Justin Walsh, were first arrested in Abbotsford in January 2020 after robbing a Subway restaurant on McCallum Road. They were then under surveillance.

After their arrest, police reported the two men were linked to a total of 16 robberies in the Lower Mainland: six in Abbotsford; three in Langley; two each in Maple Ridge, Surrey and Chilliwack; and one in Vancouver.

Investigators said their spree began Dec. 9, 2019, in Vancouver and occurred at an average rate of four thefts per week.

The offenses involved two masked men armed with weapons, one which appeared to be a long gun and the other a handgun. The robberies took place at liquor stores, gas stations, convenience stores and banks.

As of September 2020, Billy and Walsh were facing 35 charges between them.

Walsh was sentenced in January 2022 to prison and three years of probation after pleading guilty to six counts of robbery and one count of using an imitation firearm.

In addition to the 2019 and 2020 robberies, Billy’s recent conviction also included a January 2021 robbery in Burnaby and another in North Vancouver.

Sentencing Billy, Judge Joanne Challenger said he had a long criminal history which included convictions for 11 previous robberies, two of which involved the use of an imitation weapon.

She said several victims of the most recent robberies indicated they were suffering from “varying degrees of fear and anxiety.” One was off work for five months and required extensive counseling, Challenger said.

She said Billy failed to comply with a suspended sentence, parole or probation and remained “entangled in a criminal lifestyle.”

But Challenger said mitigating factors include the fact that Billy pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.

The judge said she also had to consider Billy’s Indigenous background – he is a member of the Squamish Nation and some of his relatives attended residential schools – as part of the Gladue principles of sentencing under the Criminal Code .

The Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that courts must consider an Indigenous offender’s background when sentencing them for a crime.

Challenger said that although Billy lives with “historical trauma,” he does not have a mental disability nor was he under the influence of substances or “driven by addiction” when he committed his crimes .

“Mr. Billy’s offenses were predatory, planned and deliberate. He was motivated by greed. He wanted easy money and was prepared to obtain it through violence,” the judge said.

“…His degree of moral responsibility is high. His moral culpability is reduced to some extent by his indigenous origin.

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