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The life sentences of two teens convicted in the murder of a well-known Surrey mechanic have been overturned.
Paul Prestbakmo was stabbed to death near Semiahmoo Centre on Aug. 16, 2019.
The well-known mechanic was on his way to McDonald’s to grab a pop when he was stabbed.
He was stabbed 42 times in 26 seconds.
The teens, who were 15 and 16 at the time, were found guilty of second-degree murder.
They were later sentenced as adults and given life sentences with no chance of parole for at least seven years.
However, on Friday, the teens won an appeal and had their sentences reverted to the maximum allowed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, which is seven years, including four in custody.
“I believe now that it’s more of a slap on the wrist,” Elizabeth Prestbakmo, Paul’s sister, told Global News on Monday.
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“People that have committed other crimes will now just be using the system to appeal.”
Elizabeth said her brother was a kind and generous man.
“He was a very giving man, he was gentle, he was kind, he would do anything for his friends, he was very loyal,” she said.
Elizabeth believes her brother’s killers will be released into the community in November — four years after they were initially sentenced.
The appeal court ruling is rooted in a Supreme Court of Canada ruling from last July, Rex v. IM, which overturned an adult sentence imposed on a youth who had been convicted of first-degree murder.
The court ruled that the Crown failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the youth had the maturity of an adult when the crime was committed.
–with files from Rumina Daya
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
