Hells Angels biker mega-trial: Émery Martin sentenced, released

One of the men slated to stand trial along with several other members of the Hells Angels was sentenced on Friday afternoon to 15 years and 8 months in prison — and then released.

Émery Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder earlier in the week, right before the biker mega-trial was scheduled to begin at Montreal's Gouin courthouse. The trial start date has since been postponed to Aug. 10 after one of the jurors said he could no longer serve on the jury.

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Martin, from Ste-Anne-de-Madawaska in New Brunswick, was arrested in 2009 during the SharQc sting operation. Police arrested 156 Hells Angels members and associates.

Martin had been in jail ever since on pre-trial detention.

He was released because his time behind bars before trial was considered double-time.

6 years after Operation SharQc

Martin is one of 105 people who has pleaded guilty since 2009 to avoid a trial, while 31 others were released in 2011 after a judge ruled there had been unreasonable delays in their cases.

Another three people have died since being charged, while eight others are still at large.

Earlier this week, the charges against Christian Ménard were dropped completely. He had been facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a killing 14 years ago.

Five defendants will, as it currently stands, stand trial on murder and conspiracy charges at the Gouin courthouse starting on Monday, Aug. 10: 

Yvon Tanguay. 

Claude Berger. 

François Vachon. 

Michel Vallières. 

Sylvain Vachon.

The remaining five defendants are reported to be from the Sherbrooke chapter of the Hells Angels.

A final pair of accused, Robert Bonomo and John Coates, have a date for an English-language trial set for January 2017.