The cousin of a man who fatally shot his fiance has been sentenced to 90 days of house arrest for his role in the incident.
Richard Borne was issued the term, formally known as a conditional sentence order, on August 15 in Vanderhoof provincial court for one count each of careless use or storage of a firearm and possession of firearm without a licence.
He was also issued a 10-year firearms prohibition and assessed $400 in victim surcharges.
The outcome stems from the Dec. 20, 2012 shooting death of April Johnson, 18, in Borne's Vanderhoof-area mobile home.
Borne's cousin, Kayne Sabbe Penner, was handling a .22-calibre semiautomatic rifle owned by Borne within the confines of his home when it went off. The bullet struck Johnson in the stomach and she later died from the wound.
In March, a jury found Penner guilty of manslaughter involving a firearm, which carries a mandatory minimum of four years in jail.
During a hearing last month, defence lawyer Dave Jenkins argued the sentence amounts to a cruel and unusual punishment under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms given the circumstances and is seeking a lighter sentence.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Paul Pearlman has reserved judgment.
