A man who pleaded guilty in arsons at three Walmart stores across Waterloo region last year has been sentenced to 18 months in jail, followed by two years of probation.
Earlier in April, court heard from a Walmart representative who read a victim impact statement in court, speaking about the impact on workers’ stress levels and schedules.
Last fall, Ramlengum Permauloo, who also goes by Shawn, pleaded guilty to causing damage by fire in relation to the incidents.
Permauloo’s lawyer was looking for a conditional sentence order, but the judge said it wouldn’t be enough to deter the behaviour from happening again.
The judge said because Permauloo helped plan the fires and drove himself and the other person accused to the different locations, a prison sentence was needed in order to send a clear message to others who would try something similar.
Permauloo is also not allowed to own any incendiary devices and can not go to any Walmart locations while on probation. He is also required to submit a DNA sample.
