Sister Lugela is leaving Calgary to escape her reputation, court heard

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Calgarian Phillip Lugela plans to leave the city to escape the infamy of his family name, his lawyer told a court Thursday.

Rebecca Snookal, defending, said her client was born into a family of brothers who were prone to crime and never had the chance to escape that lifestyle.

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He recommended that Justice Paul Mason give Lugela an 18-month prison sentence with more than a year in custody and probation to give him a chance to rehabilitate.

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But Crown prosecutor Donna Spaner asked for a seven-year sentence on several charges, including the charged, possession of a restricted Smith and Wesson handgun, suggesting Lugela had no interest in rehabilitation.

Snukal said the probation would allow Lugela to move to Ontario, where his uncle lives.

“We know he can't be here, he's Lugela,” Snukal said.

“He has to (go) and he accepts that.”

Two of Lugela's brothers were sentenced to life in prison for private murders outside Calgary nightclubs.

Nelson Lugela killed Calgary Stampeders defensive back Mylan Hicks outside the Marquee Beer Market on September 25, 2016, shooting Hicks twice as he left the bar, as he did nothing to the killer.

Four years later, on September 12, 2020, Samuel Lugela shot and killed Abduraaman Indiris as he was leaving a hookah lounge in the southeast.

Snukal has disputed suggestions in reports that Phillip Lugela did not have a difficult childhood.

“After his (first) brother went to prison for murder, everything in his life fell apart,” he said.

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“When most kids are in prison, something is wrong. He was a baby when this incident happened,” he said about the 23-year-old criminal.

The prosecutor says Lugela is not interested in rehabilitation

But Spaner pointed to reports prepared for Phillip Lugela's previous conviction, including a psychiatric risk assessment, which showed he was not interested in rehabilitation.

Prosecutor Mason cited three charges that charged him with failing to comply with his release conditions and a fourth with possession of a firearm while prohibited by a court order.

“He is not willing to comply with any court order,” Spaner said.

One report said he had “no plans to change his behavior.”

Lugela was arrested on January 7, 2021 by members of the Calgary Police Service's tactical team during a high-threat operation. Later, during a search of his car, a loaded handgun was found in his trunk.

At the time, he was out on bond on charges related to a May 21, 2020 shooting in which he fired at least six shots into a fleeing vehicle in a northeast residential neighborhood. During the exchange, Lugela was shot in the shoulder.

He was charged with this incident and sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison.

Mason's sentencing date is set for Friday.

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