It is not the sentence that prosecutors wanted for a Toronto serial killer.
Justice John McMahon has sentenced 67-year-old Bruce McArthur to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The Crown was pushing for 50.
McArthur murdered eight men from Toronto's gay village, and Justice McMahon told court the law is clear -- a guilty plea is a mitigating factor -- and the second factor is McArthur's age when he could apply for parole.
He told court McArthur saved the family, friends and community at large from enduring a graphic public trial that would have been a nightmare for everyone.
Criminal Lawyer Ari Goldkind tells CKTB the judge's decision is horrendous.
He says it was a mean spirited decision and a slap in the face to McArthur's victims.
He says no family member should ever have to worry about his parole date coming up.
Goldkind says if a backdoor deal was made then he could understand it, but the public should know about it.
First-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence with no parole for 25 years, but a court can decide to impose consecutive periods of parole ineligibility for several convictions.