A young man aged barely 19 was sentenced to five years in prison for threatening his victims at gunpoint, some of whom were trapped during transactions on classified ads sites.
“Give me your money and your phone or I’ll shoot you.”
This is what Rayan Benlasri said to a stranger who had responded to his ad on an online sales site. The accused pretended to sell an iPhone there, at a cost of $1,175.
On November 5, it was not a phone that he had in his hand during the transaction in Brossard, but a pistol.
Faced with the threat, the victim let the accused leave with all the money he had on him, namely $1,950, as well as his cell phone.
The victim then contacted the police and even provided them with a photo of the thief. As an Uber driver, the front of his vehicle is in fact equipped with a camera which captured the assailant’s face.
A photo of Rayan Benlasri was able to be sent to the police thanks to a camera installed in the car of a victim, who is an Uber driver.
Courtesy of the Court
The young man, who was 18 years old at the time, was not arrested at the time. He was then able to crack down again.
The second victim was taken by surprise while withdrawing money from an ATM in Saint-Constant, on the South Shore of Montreal.
Flight still filmed
“Give me your money otherwise I’ll kill you,” he demanded.
But the woman instead rushed towards the suspect, to defend herself.
Courtesy of the Court
She then found herself on the ground, under the robber who was threatening her with his gun.
The victim started screaming very loudly, which caused the young man to flee, who left empty-handed, without a penny.
The entire sequence of the theft at the counter was captured by surveillance cameras.
If Rayan Benlasri had taken the trouble to wear a face covering, the accessory came down during the fight. Police officers, who had already dealt with him in the past, later recognized him in the images.
Courtesy of the Court
Before he was arrested, he had managed to do it again, once again using the classified ads ploy. This time, he was the one who responded to an ad about the sale of a laptop.
Crime to denounce
At the meeting place, the saleswoman was not alone. She is accompanied by a cousin and a friend. Two relatives were also waiting for them in the car.
Despite everything, Benlasri drew his weapon, which he pointed at the woman, while grabbing the computer.
He then ran away and jumped into a waiting car.
It was ultimately thanks to details reported by witnesses, including the plate number of the getaway vehicle, that Rayan Benlasri was arrested shortly after.
Last week, Judge Dominique Larochelle sentenced him to five years in detention, a common suggestion between the parties.
She clarified that although it may have been a youthful mistake, it is important to denounce this crime, “which caused harm to real victims”.
The public prosecutor was represented by Me Anick Pelletier and the defense by Me Cynthia Chénier.
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