SHERBROOKE, Que.--A Quebec man who hid dirty syringes in clothing at a shopping mall has been sentenced to four years in jail.
Claude Letourneau had already pleaded guilty to 32 counts of theft, assault with a weapon causing harm, and assault with a weapon.
Crown prosecutor Emile Baril-Cote says Quebec court Judge Conrad Chapdelaine took into consideration the joint recommendation of lawyers as well as Letourneau's past criminal file.
She called today's sentence fair.
The judge noted the "state of terror" that existed in Sherbrooke before Letourneau was finally caught.
Several shoppers were pricked by the needles and had to follow a drug treatment.
The first needle was found in August 2011 in Sherbrooke, about 150 kilometres east of Montreal.
Letourneau was arrested last June.
