Achi news desk-
VANCOUVER –
A defense lawyer for Ibrahim Ali, convicted of the first-degree murder of a 13-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C., says the man wants to appear at his sentencing hearing via video because he fears for his safety.
Kevin McCullough told a BC Supreme Court judge that Ali’s presence in person posed “real security issues” and that he was prepared to file additional affidavits to support the defence’s position.
Ali’s defense has previously told the court that the victim’s father brought a gun to court on the day Ali was convicted, and although no charges were laid, the father was given a five-year weapons ban in court in Surrey this month after two licensed guns. confiscated from his home.
McCullough told the court that if his client is forced to attend the sentencing in person, he will attend remotely because “he certainly won’t be (caught) in the crossfire.”
He told the judge that he cannot believe the Crown’s position that Ali must be present in person, given what they know has happened.
The body of the girl – whose name is protected by a publication ban – was found in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017 and Ali was arrested the following year.
A jury took less than 24 hours to reach their guilty verdict at the end of the eight-month trial last December.
Ali faces a mandatory life term with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Prosecutor Isobel Keeley says the Crown is opposed to Ali attending his sentencing remotely, and the Criminal Code states that such an appearance should be in person unless the defense and Crown agree to an alternative with the approval of the court.
Keeley says family members of the murdered girl will travel from China to attend, and she expects they will present three separate victim impact statements.
She says one of those will be a video recording of the victim’s father reading his statement in Mandarin, with a copy translated to be read aloud in English.
Another hearing is scheduled for Friday to confirm the sentencing dates.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 16, 2024.
