Yukon judge sentences brothers in case that divides community

Two brothers from Burwash Landing, Yukon, were sentenced in a Whitehorse courtroom Friday for an incident that violently divided the small community of about 100 people.

A Yukon judge found Wilfrid Sheldon and Derek Johnson guilty last October of restraining an 18-year-old guest from leaving their all-night drinking party in Burwash Landing in August2013.

The victim in the case, Colin Johnson, had been drinking with Sheldon and Derek Johnson and later complained they tortured him. Colin Johnson has since committed suicide.

No one will say what really happened that night. The judge has ruled there's enough evidence that Colin Johnson wanted to leave the party and was forced to stay.

Sheldon, a former Kluane First Nation chief, was sentenced to 18 months probation for unlawful confinement. Derek Johnson was given a four-month conditional sentence and 12 months probation for the same offence.

Colin Johnson's relatives, including aunt Martina Amos, were not satisfied with the sentence, they blame his suicide on bullying.

"It just says to us that everything that my nephew said that happened behind those doors did happen. And it gives us a little bit of peace, not much, but it gives us something, like this is over, we can move on. And we can just hold up Colin's memory." Amos says.

Alyce Johnson, an aunt to both the accused and the victim says she's not happy with the sentence and believes traditional Southern Tutchone law would have provided a more appropriate punishment.

"One of them has been banishment from the communities, wherein individuals who have done wrongdoing have gone and been isolated, that way they have time to think about their acts," she says.