Ian Bush, the Ottawa man formerly convicted in a grisly 2007 triple murder, was handed another two life sentences Wednesday for the attempted murder and robbery of a 101-year-old Second World War veteran.

While the sentences handed down Wednesday allow Bush to apply for parole after 10 years, they will be served concurrently with Bush's life sentence for the earlier murders, which will keep him behind bars for at least 25 years.

I consider Ernest Côté to be a hero. - Justice Robert Beaudoin

Bush was convicted after breaking into Ernest Côté's New Edinburgh home in November 2014 while posing as a City of Ottawa employee.

Once inside, Bush tied Côté up and placed a bag over his head, then searched the apartment before leaving with money and a number of other items.

Côté was eventually able to free himself, cut a hole in the bag and call police, all while preserving most of the evidence — no small feat for a centenarian, his daughter Denyse Côté said.

"He had the insight to give a phony PIN number, he had the insight not to touch evidence … my dad was 101, he had a walker, but his head was all there," she said Wednesday.

"We were dealing with a person of almost unbelievable presence of mind and calmness to extricate himself from the death trap Bush had left him in," said Crown attorney James Cavanagh after the hearing.

Ernest Côté's video testimony on the home invasion was played in court during Bush's trial. (CBC)

Côté, who was also a former lawyer and senior public servant, suffered only minor injuries and did not need to be taken to hospital.

He died in February 2015 of natural causes.

"I consider Ernest Côté to be a hero," said Justice Robert Beaudoin during the hearing.

"He was certainly a hero when he landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. His friends and family would say that he's a hero every day of his life and throughout his career of public service. He most certainly was a hero on Dec. 18, 2014."

Crown asked for life sentences

Bush was convicted Dec. 1.

On Wednesday Beaudoin handed Bush two more life sentences, one each for attempted murder and robbery, with a possibility of parole after 10 years — terms that match those recommended by the Crown.

The judge cited the similar case of Ottawa's Marc Leduc in his sentencing decision.

Leduc, charged with aggravated sexual assault after breaking into the home of a 19-year-old woman and attacking her with a knife in 2012, had already been convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for killings in 2008 and 2011 — crimes that were also linked by DNA evidence.

"Ian Bush's pattern of violent behaviour is clearly established by his past convictions," wrote Beaudoin in his decision.

"Protection of the public is the paramount concern in this case … His degree of blameworthiness and dangerousness can only be regarded as high."

Crown attorney James Cavanagh says Ernest Côté's courage was 'remarkable.' (Andrew Foote/CBC)

"We're pleased. It's an exceptional sentence but it truly reflects the seriousness and gravity of the crime itself and the future dangers represented by Mr. Bush," said Crown attorney James Cavanagh after the sentencing.

Bush's lawyer, Geraldine Castle-Trudel, had asked for a seven-to-10-year sentence.

She said Bush plans to appeal the conviction and sentencing.

Earlier murder convictions

Bush was also sentenced Wednesday to 10 years for forcible confinement, three years for having a prohibited weapon with readily available ammunition and a year for having an unlicensed firearm, all to be served concurrently.

Earlier this year, Bush received three automatic life sentences for the 2007 murders of three people in a luxury apartment on Riverside Drive in Ottawa.

Bush was convicted of murdering retired judge Alban Garon, his wife Raymonde Garon, and their neighbour Marie-Claire Beniskos.

According to the Crown, Bush's motive for those crimes stemmed from a grudge he held against Garon, a former chief justice of the Tax Court of Canada.

The sentences Bush received Wednesday will stand in addition to three life sentences he's already serving. A judge ruled that Bush's sentence for the murders will be served concurrently, meaning he will spend 25 years in prison before he is eligible for parole, notwithstanding the new terms handed down Wednesday.

An Ottawa man accused of invading the home of a Second World War veteran has been linked to a 2007 triple homicide investigation involving retired federal court judge Alban Garon. 2:35

The murders went unsolved for years until police arrested Bush for the attempted murder of Côté and matched DNA from both crime scenes.

"I think [Ernest] would be happy," Denyse said.

"He would be very happy that justice was done for the Garon family and Mrs. Beniskos … he did things that were remarkable. This was his idea of public service, he was doing it for himself but also thinking of what might happen and thinking of how justice should be done."