Young offender back in town

A 13-year-old Iqaluit girl who vowed to change her delinquent ways if allowed to live in Montreal is back in Iqaluit.

A visibly disappointed Justice Beverley Browne chastised the teen, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act.

In May, the teen was given two years’ probation for arson, theft and mischief. However, over the summer, she ignored her curfew — a violation that earned her an additional year of probation.

In August, Browne offered the mature-looking youth the unorthodox option of serving her probationary sentence in Montreal.

The option was contingent on the teen’s compliance with conditions that included attending school and obeying a curfew.

The Montreal probation was imposed after the girl’s lawyer, Brad McIsaac, and her family said they blamed bad influences in Iqaluit for the girl’s criminal behavior.

However, the experiment failed and the girl’s older sister, a full-time university student who assured the court she could handle the teen, recently sent her younger sister back to Iqaluit, the court heard.

Where the girl serves the remainder of her sentence will be discussed during her next court appearance on Oct. 21.

Yellowknife and Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories have the two closest correctional facilities for women.