'They're not violent people,' says Grand Manan mother

The mother of one of four men convicted of weapons and arson offencesfromlast summer's riot on Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick saysnone of the menshould go to jail because of their actions.

Jan Lambert, whose son Matthew has been released following Saturday's verdict until sentencing,is happy her son was not taken into custody,but says none of the men did anything criminal.

"I'm relieved he's not going to jail, but it still makes me angry that the other two boys are, and that they would be convicted of anything because of the way things went down that night," she said.

"As the judge said, it was very chaotic.And when you know the people, you know their hearts, and you know they wouldn't be … they're not violent people."

Matthew Lambert and three other men will have criminal convictions resulting from the July 22 incident, during which a group of islanders descended on a reputed drug house, attacked its inhabitant and set it on fire.

Defence lawyer David Lutzmaintained the men were acting in self-defence,

The convictionsfollowed 10 days of testimony and nearly two days of deliberations.

On the arson charges, the 12-member jury acquitted Greg Guthrie, butconvictedMichael Small and Lloyd Bainbridge. They have been taken into custody and will be sentenced on Dec. 4. Carter Foster was found guilty of unlawful storage of a firearm. Lambert was found guilty of a weapons charge relating to a flare gun.

Foster and Lambert were allowed to return to Grand Manan until sentencing.

Pre-sentence reports will be prepared to help Justice Hugh McLellan decide how to sentence the other four men.

The defence had argued the men were defending themselves and their community in July when they fired gunshots, beat a man they accused ofdrug dealing and set his home ablaze.

During deliberations, the jury asked several questions about the issue of self-defence.

They delivered the verdictstoanemotionally charged courtroom, where wives and girlfriends of the accused wept upon hearing the news. At one point, the judge warned people to remain calm.

Firefighters described in court how they arrived to amob scene at the home of Ronald Ross andsaid some in the crowd stood in their way by forming a human chainaround the burning building.

Prosecutors had told jurors that despitetheir opinions ofthe man whose home was destroyed the night of July 21 and the early-morning hours of July 22,islanders from the community of 2,600 had no right to bypass the criminal justice system.

Ross, who now lives in Digby, N.S.,had testifiedhe wasn'trunning a crack cocaine house, as his attackerssuggested.

He admitted to occasionally using the drug,but insisted he did not produce or sell the crackto others.

Grand Manan is about 35 kilometres off New Brunswick in the Bay of Fundy.