Justin Christen Bourque has received a five-year prison term for an assault on another inmate at a maximum-security prison close to Miramichi three years ago. The 35-year-old was found guilty of aggravated assault and possessing a weapon in connection with the incident that occurred on March 3, 2022, at the Atlantic Institution. Bourque, already serving life sentences for the 2014 murders of three RCMP officers in Moncton, was due to appear via video in Miramichi court for sentencing on Wednesday afternoon. However, the appearance was unexpectedly moved to the morning and had already concluded by the time reporters arrived at the courthouse.
Court documents revealed that Judge Johanne-Marguerite Landry sentenced Bourque to five years in prison for both charges, to be served concurrently with his existing life sentences. The conditions of his sentence include a lifetime ban on possessing weapons and the requirement to provide a DNA sample to authorities. A victim fine surcharge was waived.
Bourque, along with another inmate named Christian Enang Clyke, was involved in the assault on Chase Spence, a third inmate moving into their prison unit. Surveillance video presented during the trial captured the events leading up to the stabbing, showing the altercation between Spence, Bourque, and Clyke. Despite the visual evidence, Spence did not testify during the trial, and neither he nor the accused provided statements to the police.
Christian Enang Clyke, who is currently serving a life sentence for a murder in Nova Scotia, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of second-degree murder for killing another inmate at the Atlantic Institution. His sentencing is scheduled for October 23.
The judge noted that medical records indicated Spence suffered a stab wound to the chest wall along with minor injuries. Bourque chose not to present any defense evidence or testify during the trial, leaving the court to rely on the surveillance footage and other testimonies.