Three young men involved in a violent home invasion last fall have each been sentenced to at least two years behind bars.

Allen Yaklin, 21, and brothers Kyle McCormick, 22, and Khristopher McCormick, 21, pleaded guilty to breaking and entering, robbery and possession of stolen property pertaining to a violent home invasion during which the resident was sprayed in the face with bear spray and hit on the head with an ax handle.

His laptop, cell phone and TV were stolen.

The sentences were the result of a joint submission by Crown prosecutor Joanna Phillips and each of the men’s defence lawyers, Gordon Coffin, Nils Clarke and Mike Reynolds, respectively.

“The three of you should be thankful that the Crown has taken the position they have taken,” said Judge Peter Chisholm said this morning, accepting the submission and calling it “very reasonable.

“It is clear that (the men) all have the intelligence and potential to turn their respective lives around.”

Kyle McCormick was sentenced to three years for breaking and entering, minus time served for which he received 1.5 days credit for each day spent in custody, as well as two years for robbery and six months for possession of stolen property, to be served concurrently.

Khristopher McCormick was sentenced to 2 1/2 years for breaking and entering minus time served, as well as 20 months for robbery and six months for possession of stolen property, to be served concurrently.

In regards to a separate incident a week before the home invasion, Chisholm sentenced Khristopher McCormick to 30 days each for uttering threats, resisting arrest and breaching his recognizance, to be served concurrently.

Yaklin was sentenced to 2 1/2 years for breaking and entering, minus the six months he’s spent in custody, as well as 20 months for robbery and six months for possession of stolen property, to be served concurrently.

Each was sentenced to one year of probation as well.

Four men were involved in the home invasion last October. Tim Ayotte, who was described as the group’s ringleader, was sentenced earlier this year to four years in federal prison for his role.

In her arguments last week, Phillips noted the men’s youth, as well as the facts that Khristopher McCormick has a limited criminal record and Yaklin had no prior record.

Each lawyer spoke about his client’s difficult childhood and substance abuse problems.

On the night of the home invasion, Clarke said, Kyle McCormick was under the influence of alcohol and crack cocaine. The goal of the robbery was to find more drugs, or money with which to buy drugs.

The McCormick brothers expressed through their lawyers last Thursday that they’d prefer to enter the federal correctional system, rather than the territorial one, because they have family and greater supports in B.C. than in the Yukon. This requires a minimum sentence of two years.

Yaklin also pleaded guilty Wednesday to three other charges for an assault and two breaches of the 6 p.m. curfew set out in his recognizance.

Coffin said his client would prefer to enter the federal correctional system in order to access counselling and programming not available at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, and as a result requested short, consecutive sentences rather than concurrent ones.

For the additional charges, Chisholm sentenced Yaklin to 15 days for the assault, 15 days for the first breach and 30 days for the second breach, to be served consecutively.