Thursday, January 21, 2010
Walter Stadnick, 51, of Hamilton, and Donald Stockford, 42, of Ancaster, were convicted
Walter Stadnick, 51, of Hamilton, and Donald Stockford, 42, of Ancaster, were convicted in June 2004 on five charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and gangsterism. Stadnick was earlier acquitted of 13 first-degree murder charges and three counts of attempted murder. The pair launched a request to appeal questioning language used in Crown disclosure and the consistency of statements provided by some witnesses at their trial.On Monday, the Court of Appeal of Quebec dismissed their request.In September 2004, the pair sat motionless as Quebec Superior Court Justice Jerry Zigman read his sentence for nearly 30 minutesHe called them "hardened criminals who show little or no hope of being able to straighten out their lives and cease participating in criminal activities. "They are violent people who are a danger to society. They have expressed no remorse for their acts."Stadnick and Stockford, who were tried in English, were among the last to face trial of those arrested during a massive Quebec police sweep in 2001.The men were founding members of the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels in Montreal, which controlled the drug trade and led an eight-year bloody turf war with the rival Rock Machine.Stadnick and Stockford were heavily involved in biker activities in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. Stadnick served as national president of the Hells Angels for six years.