Robbery

A robbery is a theft that involves any sort of violence. It is therefore more serious than a usual theft. Then again, the use of violence can vary greatly from an offense to another. For instance, a person can be accused of a robbery if he threatens the person being robbed while stealing. On the other hand, a person that steals while having a firearm pointed at the person being robbed will also be accused of this offense. Both situations cover this crime, but the individual using the weapon while committing the theft will have a more serious sentence if convicted of robbery.

Section 343 of the Criminal Code: Robbery

343 Every one commits robbery who

a) steals, and for the purpose of extorting whatever is stolen or to prevent or overcome resistance to the stealing, uses violence or threats of violence to a person or property;

b) steals from any person and, at the time he steals or immediately before or immediately thereafter, wounds, beats, strikes or uses any personal violence to that person;

c) assaults any person with intent to steal from him; or

d) steals from any person while armed with an offensive weapon or imitation thereof.

Section 344 of the Criminal Code: Robbery punishment

344(1) Every person who commits robbery is guilty of an indictable offence and liable

a) if a restricted firearm or prohibited firearm is used in the commission of the offence or if any firearm is used in the commission of the offence and the offence is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal organization, to imprisonment for life and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of

     (i) in the case of a first offence, five years, and

     (ii) in the case of a second or subsequent offence, seven years;

a.1) in any other case where a firearm is used in the commission of the offence, to imprisonment for life and to a minimum punishment of imprisonment for a term of four years; and

b) in any other case, to imprisonment for life.