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The former City of Ottawa lawyer who defaced the National Holocaust Monument with blood-red paint last summer won’t serve any more time behind bars.
Justice Anne London-Weinstein announced her decision in the case against 46-year-old Iain Aspenlieder on Wednesday, giving him a suspended sentence. Aspenlieder had pleaded guilty in July to committing mischief to the memorial in June 2025 by painting the words “FEED ME” on it.
Crown prosecutors had sought a two-year sentence while Aspenlieder’s defence lawyer had asked for a suspended sentence accounting for time already served in jail and under strict bail conditions.
In an unusual move, Aspenlieder asked in December to be taken back into custody while London-Weinstein decided what sentence to impose.
Aspenlieder is seen here during a July 2025 court appearance. (Lauren Foster-MacLeod)
In her decision Wednesday to release Aspenlieder from custody, London-Weinstein said she didn’t believe Aspenlieder’s actions were motivated by hate but that they still caused harm.
She handed down a sentence of five months for time already served. Aspenlieder looked straight ahead, his head tilted slightly down, during the sentencing.
London-Weinstein concluded that Aspenlieder’s actions were motivated by his political views and the plight of the Palestinians.
She added that, according to everything she’s heard and despite the harm caused by Aspenlieder’s actions, his crime was inconsistent with his overall character.
WATCH | CBC’s Jodie Applewaithe reports from the courthouse:
Man who defaced Holocaust Monument won’t serve more time behind bars
The man who defaced the National Holocaust Monument in June 2025 will not have to spend any more time behind bars, a judge decided in Ottawa on Wednesday. Jodie Applewaithe reports from the courthouse.
Michael Spratt, Aspenlieder’s lawyer, said London-Weinstein’s decision was thoughtful, well-reasoned and compassionate, taking into account both the harm caused and Aspenlieder’s personal circumstances.
“That’s all you can ask for, a court that listens to all of the evidence,” Spratt said outside the Ottawa Courthouse.
Acting deputy Crown attorney Moiz Karimjee declined to comment on Wednesday’s outcome.
During sentencing arguments back in December, Aspenlieder said he knew his actions hurt people but that it was an “unavoidable consequence” of his bid to “shock Canadians out of our complicity” over what he called the ongoing genocide in Gaza by Israel.
Court previously heard from a number of Jewish and other community groups about the negative impact of the vandalism.
Several of the organizations said a red handprint on the curb caused particular anguish because it evokes a widely-publicized image from 2000 of a Palestinian man raising his hands, covered in the blood of two murdered Israeli reservists, in celebration of their killing.
London-Weinstein said she believes Aspenlieder inadvertently left the print, unaware of its greater significance and symbolism.
Wednesday’s conclusion marked the first time a sentence has been issued for that particular Criminal Code offence.
On top of his sentence of 152 days of time served, Aspenlieder will remain on probation for two years.
He is ordered not to approach Jewish or Israeli institutions and is prohibited from possessing firearms. He must also pay a victim surcharge.
Light sentence for ‘abhorrent act,’ groups say
Groups closely watching the case have expressed deep disappointment at the sentence.
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC), a human rights and social advocacy organization that shares the lessons of the Holocaust, said that while it was important that Aspenlieder was convicted, he should have served more jail time for his “abhorrent act.”
FSWC added in a news release that it was troubled by London-Weinstein’s characterization that the vandalism was not motivated by hate, “despite clear evidence of its impact on the Jewish community.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in its own release that the sentence doesn’t reflect the gravity of Aspenlieder’s offence.
The Holocaust began with hateful propaganda, “yet this deliberate act of desecration reminds us that the same forces of rhetoric, radicalization, and violent extremism are resurfacing and we must confront them with vigilance and resolve,” the group wrote.
In and email, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa said it’s deeply troubling that Aspenlieder’s vandalism continues to be viewed through a political lens rather than as a deliberate targeting of a sacred Jewish site.
“The National Holocaust Monument is not a political symbol,” the group stated.
London-Weinstein’s decision comes three weeks before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.