A military judge has reserved sentencing for a Calgary reservist convicted in a deadly training accident in Afghanistan until Feb. 20.
The prosecution wants Maj. Darryl Watts to either be demoted or dismissed from the military and to spend 18 months in jail.
"Due to the gravity of the offence and the nature of the consequences that flowed from the conduct our position was that incarceration was mandatory to send a message to the remainder of the Canadian Forces," said prosecutor Maj. Dylan Kerr.
Kerr says Watts has shown no remorse and hasn't accepted responsibility for his role in the accident north of Kandahar city.
"There has been no evidence that Maj. Watts has accepted his responsibility for the part he played, and we're asking the court to impose a sentence that will send a message to Maj. Watts as well that it's time for him to accept responsibility for his conduct in the act," Kerr said.
Defence lawyer Balfour Der is suggesting his client be reprimanded.
"Maj. Watts by my account was found guilty, but he's as marginal as it comes to being found guilty," Der said. "Jail would likely end his career as a firefighter…it would end his career as a military officer, it would even stop him from volunteering at schools, places like that where he does a lot of good work for the community, so jail would just be a terrible sentencing."
He also said the length of the proceedings is taking a toll on his family.
"All of the time, this is weighing on him, weighing on his family, his children, is he going to jail,?" Der questioned. "Is he being dismissed? Will he get fired from work? That's a terrible pressure to put on someone for that long a period of time."
Cpl. Josh Baker died and four soldiers were wounded when an anti-personnel mine raked the platoon with ball bearings during the training exercise in February 2010.
Watts was found guilty of unlawfully causing bodily harm and negligent performance of military duty.