By Canadian Press

‘Real and present danger’: Nova Scotia crime figure deemed dangerous offender

Jan 18, 2021 | 11:54 AM

HALIFAX — One of the most notorious crime figures in Nova Scotia has been declared a dangerous offender.

Jimmy Melvin Jr. was handed an indeterminate sentence today in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, where the presiding judge described him as a “real and present danger” to the public.

In a written decision, Justice Peter Rosinski noted that the Crown had highlighted 23 violent crimes committed by Melvin, starting in 1995 when he was 15 years old.

The Crown argued that for the next 25 years, Melvin had engaged in a pattern of threatening and violent behaviour, which included numerous assaults involving pool cues, hockey sticks, baseball bats and his fists.

The 38-year-old offender has been serving time since July 2015, when he was arrested for the attempted murder of rival gangster Terry Marriott Jr. on Dec. 2, 2008.

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On Oct. 5, 2017, Melvin was convicted on that charge and on conspiracy to commit murder, and the Crown later applied to have him designated a dangerous offender.

An indeterminate sentence doesn’t have an end date; the Parole Board of Canada reviews the sentence after seven years and then every two years after that.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan.18, 2021.

The Canadian Press