EPS police surveillance photo of a suspect in an unprovoked attack on a senior at an LRT station April 25, 2022.
The man who attacked an elderly Sunday school teacher at an Edmonton LRT station, which caused her to fall onto the tracks and suffer a leg injury – has been sentenced to 22 months in jail.
Kendall Raine appeared in an Edmonton courtroom today, wearing ankle shackles and an Orange correctional jumpsuit.
In his court appearance, he addressed Justice Suzanne Polkosnik — who accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from Crown and defence. He apologized for punching 78-year-old Sharda Devi Naidu in the face at the Health Sciences/Jubilee LRT Station on April 25, 2022.
Raine told the Court, “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what I did,” adding “I wasn’t in my right mind’s state when I did that. I know if I was I would have walked away and handled that more like an adult than a kid.”
Edmonton has seen a rise in violence on its transit system in recent years and Polkosnik said the sentence of 22 months sends a message to those who engage in such attacks.
“Citizens of this city deserve to be able to use our transit system with some assurance of safety, free from completely random and unprovoked acts of violence,” she said. “This is something we’re struggling with in this city and cannot be underestimated.”
Raines’ sentence also included two years of probation in which he must undergo drug and alcohol treatment. His guilty plea and sentence also included the incident in which he attacked a busker, in December at Churchill LRT station.
With credit for time in pre-trial custody, Raine has 80 days left to serve.
Sharda Devi Naidu’s family were present in the courtroom for sentencing and declined comments but did say that they are not happy with the sentencing.
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