WARNING: This story contains details about threats of physical and sexual violence against women.
A Burlington, Ont., man who pleaded guilty to uttering threats to two women was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.
DeAndre Anderson, 25 was arrested and charged in April 2024 with two counts of uttering threats “in support of the incel ideology,” according to the RCMP.
Justice Jennifer Crawford handed down the prison term in the Ontario Court of Justice in Burlington as part of a continuation of his sentencing hearing.
Crawford said he would be required to serve 860 days, or approximately 28½ months, after she approved a deduction or credit for pre-sentence custody of 523 days, in line with the sentence the Crown had requested.
The charges, which followed a joint investigation with the Halton Regional Police Service and the FBI, are alleged to constitute terrorist activity under the code, police said in a news release.
Anderson pleaded guilty in November. The victims’ identities are protected under a publication ban.
Anderson, whose mother was in court for the sentencing, sat in the prisoner’s box, looking down for more than an hour as Crawford read a summary of the case and announced the sentence. He was observed, on occasions, wiping his face with his hands.
According to an agreed statement of facts between the Crown and the defence, Anderson used the online moniker MrUgly420 to post publicly on an incel website between December 2022 and April 2024.
He said in the posts that he wanted to shoot a former high school classmate in the head and that she had rejected him in the past, the Crown prosecutor told the court in a previous appearance. He also posted her picture online.
Following his arrest, police found a plan created by Anderson to kill his dentist and “a plan to stab/attack women randomly.”
The Crown said the two charges constitute terrorist activities under the Criminal Code.
Crawford said that while Anderson did not carry out his threats, making “his abhorrent and hateful thoughts” public through his online posts, Anderson “normalized and encouraged mass murder and violence against women and others.”
Pointing out that the gravity of Anderson’s offences and his degree of responsibility are “high,” Crawford said she found that five years in custody is proportionate to the seriousness of the offence and Anderson’s degree of responsibility.
She said the time in prison will allow for “rehabilitation” while separating Anderson from society.
Since his incarceration on April 29, 2024, Crawford noted, Anderson has completed 13 hours of a number of programs over several days. These include:
Following his trial, Anderson told the court he was “remorseful” for actions, which also included posting online about violence he wanted to commit.
“I regret everything that I said on the incel forum,” Anderson said in the Milton Ontario Court of Justice.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Crawford said that if Anderson engages in rehabilitative efforts to the point where he’s no longer a “risk,” a release to the community could occur “under the strict supervision of the parole system” should the Parole Board deem it appropriate at a later date.
She ordered that Anderson serve at least half of his sentence before being considered for parole, citing the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.
The act states that where an offender receives a sentence of imprisonment of two years or more, including a sentence of imprisonment for life on conviction for a terrorism offence, the court shall order that the portion of the sentence that must be served before the offender may be released on full parole is one-half of the sentence or 10 years, whichever is less.
If you’re affected by this news report, you can look for mental health support through resources in your province or territory.
