A teenager associated with a criminal gang was jailed for 13 years for trying to shoot two men in a bar.

Josiah King, 19, pleaded guilty to having a prohibited Generation 5 Glock 19 handgun, 16 rounds of ammunition and carrying a firearm in a public place at an earlier Supreme Court hearing.

He appeared in court yesterday when Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe sentenced him to 12 years in prison for having the gun and 12 years for possession of ammunition, adding an extra year to each offence for the gang affiliation. Both sentences will run concurrently.

Cindy Clarke, the Director of Public Prosecutions, requested at an earlier hearing that King be sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the shooting, which occurred at Divots Restaurant, Bar and Grill on May 10, 2022, but suggested that he spend more time in prison for the gang association.

She told the court that lyrics written on a paper found inside King’s cell at the Westgate Correctional Facility after the incident showed an affiliation with either the Cedar Hill or Ord Road Crew criminal gangs.

A 2012 amendment to the Criminal Code Act made links to gang affiliation — including names, signs, symbols, frequent associations and activity — an aggravating factor in a crime, which could result in an additional five years’ imprisonment.

Marc Daniels, King’s lawyer, argued there was “absolutely no evidence” that King was affiliated with any gang, adding: “Correspondence that appears to come from a gang member cannot be seen as a frequent association.”

King, who was 18 at the time of the offence, ran into the restaurant, located on the Belmont Hills Golf Course, wearing a black helmet and black mask.

He pointed a gun at two men sitting at the bar, one of whom was a member of the Jones Village gang, and chased them before they ran into a staff area.

An off-duty police officer struck King in the face and chest with a chair as he entered the dining room.

The officer seized the weapon during the struggle, but King escaped and ran across the golf course.

King, whose blood was left on the officer’s shirt, turned himself in at Hamilton Police Station three days after the incident.

He apologised to the court and his parents for his actions and highlighted his wish to learn Arabic while in prison.

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