Traevonne Mattis sat in court Monday afternoon and smirked as he read the impact statement from the father of a mentally disabled man who was brutally tortured in the summer of 2014.

According to an agreed statement of facts, the man who was 25 at the time, was the victim of a home invasion involving Mattis and two others that quickly turned violent.

The victim was blindfolded and eventually confined to a urine-soaked dog cage.

He had gasoline and bleach rubbed into his wounds before being taken to a Gananoque forest where he was choked and stripped of clothing.

Judge Heather Perkins-McVey questioned why Mattis hasn't apologized for taking part in the "torturous activity."

Mattis' lawyer, Trevor Brown, said his client doesn't believe sorry cuts it.

"An apology would seem grossly insufficient and will not make up for what he has done," he said.

At the start of the sentencing hearing, the Crown gave Mattis a statement penned by the father of the victim.

He read it and briefly smiled, before handing the paper back to his lawyer.

Prosecutors want Mattis, a 19-year-old man who has pleaded guilty to charges including armed robbery, forcible confinement, conspiracy and assault causing bodily harm, to go to prison for 10 years.

Brown said he believes Mattis deserves a lesser sentence of five years less time already served as he mostly sat back and acted as a lookout, during the violent incident.

"He's a follower. He doesn't give a lot of thought to his actions," Brown said during the sentencing hearing.

Brown added that in fact Mattis let the victim out of the cage to stretch.

Brown also said Mattis' diagnosed ADHD, his lack of a strong paternal figure and his clean record before this incident should be considered in the ruling.

Crown prosecutor Matthew Geigen-Miller said the fact Mattis allowed the abuse to continue without intervening shows a lack of compassion and warrants a higher prison term.

"How could an 18-year-old man without a criminal record knowingly and willingly participate in such brutal crimes?" asked Geigen-Miller.

"How much morality or empathy is in him? We know it wasn't enough to restrain him for participating in these shocking crimes."

According to facts read out by Crown prosecutor Julie Scott during the previous court appearance, the victim had been extorted by a woman he met on Facebook.

A second woman -- Lisa Wooley, who has already pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme -- pledged her virginity to him and he agreed to meet her.

Instead, Mattis, another man and the first woman stormed his home and robbed him blind on Sept. 4.

Mattis was involved in leading the victim to believe his cat had been mutilated, his mother murdered and helped facilitate a ransom call to the victim's father asking for $300,000.

Judge Perkins-McVey apologized to the victim and his family sitting in the courtroom after saying she wasn't prepared to hand out a sentence.

"I have to take a lot into account," she said.

"I apologize I cannot give you that finality today."

A sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 23.

matt.day@sunmedia.ca

-- With files by Tony Spears