A Campbell River man who burned down his house after being evicted will be allowed to argue for a shorter sentence.
Eddy Walter Cliffe owned a home with a mortgage secured by the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River. After he defaulted and failed to settle the debt, the band issued him an eviction notice.
In response, Cliffe got his mother to help him burn down the house. He was subsequently banished from the nation’s reserve.
Cliffe pleaded guilty to arson in 2020 and received a 21-month custodial sentence and 18 months’ probation.
Now, he says his sentence, on top of being banished, counts as double jeopardy and should be overturned.
On Friday, Appeals Court Justice John Hunter ruled that Cliffe’s conviction stands, but that he can go ahead with appealing his sentence.
