The man who stole an airplane from Confederation College and flew into the United States four years ago is a free man.
Adam Leon, 35, was given an absolute discharge Monday afternoon at the Ontario Court of Justice. Leon was charged with theft over $5,000 for stealing the plane from the college on April 6, 2009.
The incident made international headlines when Leon flew the plane into the U.S., eventually landing in Missouri where he was arrested by state police.
Leon spent two years in custody in the U.S. and was deported to Canada in March 2011. He has been living under strict bail conditions since March 23, 2011.
Justice Joyce Pelletier said the time Leon spent in U.S. custody and the pre-sentence custody he spent in Canada, plus the strict bail conditions he’s adhered to for the past two years, meet the principle deterrent requirements.
Pelletier said she accepts that Leon had a mental health crisis on the day of the theft and there is no evidence he intended to harm anyone other than himself.
Leon has demonstrated remorse, accepted responsibility for his actions and is involved in active psychiatric care.
The judge also said Leon is an outstanding student at Humber College and a contributing member of society. Prior to this incident, he had no criminal record.
During sentencing submissions Monday morning, the court heard Leon was in a depressive state on April 6, 2009; it was the anniversary of the death of his parents, who died in a car crash in 2002.
He had sought medical help on April 3, 2009; hospital records show he was admitted and kept overnight.
Leon’s lawyer Neil McCartney said his client was relieved after Monday’s decision.
“This is the end of a four-year saga,” he said outside the courthouse.
“I think it was the right result. I think (the judge) took account of the fact he did all that time in the United States and she took account of the fact that we’ve had very close tabs on him for some two years and his conduct back in this country has been nothing but excellent.”
Leon has learned about what he has to be grateful for and how to monitor his mental health to make sure there isn’t a recurrence of what happened last time, said McCartney.
And while his client is free to move on with his life, the incident is likely to follow him for a long time to come, especially in today’s Internet age.
“If something high profile happens to you, it’s a lot more difficult to live it down even in the course of many years,” said McCartney.
