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Prosecutor calls for a year of jail in the case of Canadian bombardier who fed soldiers cannabis cupcakes during live-fire exercise
Defence asks that the accused be dismissed from the Canadian Armed Forces and demoted to the rank of private.
The defence and prosecution have made final submissions in the sentencing of Chelsea Cogswell, a bombardier who dosed soldiers with cannabis-infused cupcakes during a live-fire exercise in 2018. Cogswell, 28, was found guilty on nine charges in August , including one count of behaving in a disgraceful manner, which carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.
Defence lawyer Ian Kasper argued that Cogswell should be dismissed from the Canadian Armed Forces and demoted to the rank of private, while the prosecution recommended Cogswell serves one year in jail, reports the Canadian Press .
In August, the court heard that eight members of the artillery unit were fed the cupcakes and experienced “dehydration, overheating, fatigue, confusion, dry mouth and paranoia.”
“My consent was stripped from me,” wrote Lyann Lechman, per the Canadian Press . “As a person, our consent is one thing that we have to protect our well-being and to know that someone blatantly disrespected and abused that is horrifying. After this incident I find myself questioning the intent of my peers.”
Liam Jarbeau said the incident broke his trust in the chain of command at the school.
“Having a co-worker, someone who was a higher rank than I at the time, betray me and fellow soldiers caused a lot of distress,” he wrote.
Defending, Kasper said that Cogswell has post-traumatic stress disorder and cyclothymia, a mood disorder, and her mental state was worsened by her experiences in the armed forces.
“I would suggest the reason this happened, or that you can infer, her mental resilience was simply taken past the point where it couldn’t handle it any longer,” he continued.
During the hearing in August, Military Judge Cmdr. Sandra Sukstorf noted that Cogswell gave statements to police in September and October 2018.
“You [Cogswell] told the investigator that you were still recovering from an incident in Shilo and since that time you kept to yourself. You told Sgt. Leblanc that you were waiting for a transfer to the JPSU [joint personnel support unit] as you couldn’t take the unit any longer,” Sukstorf reportedly said.
Sentencing in the case is expected to be delivered on Friday.
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