A man who participated in a drug-related fatal shooting at a Vancouver apartment was sentenced Friday to seven years in jail.

In December, Cody David Stuiver, 25, pleaded guilty to the Jan. 30, 2016, manslaughter of Christopher Kwik, 40, at a “drug shop” on Granville Street.

His co-accused, Gage McPake, earlier pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Both men had initially been charged with second-degree murder.

In the weeks before the shooting, Stuiver and McPake, who operated a drug-trafficking enterprise, had purchased a .44 Magnum revolver for $2,000 and some drugs for the purpose of intimidating others.

Just before the slaying, they were angry and believed they had been ripped off by the occupants of the drug shop at 2425 Granville St.

On the day of the shooting, McPake brought the handgun along with him while Stuiver armed himself with a can of mace. They intended to rob the shop.

When they entered the store, McPake fired one round from the weapon at Kwik, who was working at the shop. Kwik died at the scene of a single bullet wound to the chest.

In imposing sentence, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten noted that while Stuiver didn’t hold the gun that killed Kwik and did not intend for Kwik to be shot, his moral blameworthiness was nonetheless substantial.

“He was an active participant in conduct involving a weapon that carried an obvious risk of serious bodily harm while knowing that he was subject to a court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms or ammunition,” said the judge. “The handgun and ammunition were later found in the apartment that Mr. Stuiver shared with Mr. McPake.”

The shooting itself was spontaneous but occurred as part of a jointly shared objective of retaliation and gain for the acquisition of illicit substances, added the judge.

Crown counsel Michael Barrenger had argued for a sentence of seven years in prison while defence lawyer Glen Orris called for a sentence of six years in jail.

Before being sentenced Stuiver provided a letter for the court that was read into the record by Orris.

Stuiver apologized to the family and friends of Kwik and “all those impacted” by the loss.

“I know I can’t say anything that will take away the pain that you feel,” said his letter. “There is no justifying what has happened here. I am truly sorry for my actions and callous disregard for another human being.”

Stuiver, who has taken a number of courses in prison aimed at helping rehabilitate himself, said that at the time of the offence he had long suffered from addictions and inner turmoil, and was working to improve himself.

“I will always carry with me the memory of what has happened and the people who have been hurt the most. After today I hope that you may feel a sort of closure in knowing that justice for Christopher has finally been served,” the letter read.

After receiving credit for pre-sentence custody, Stuiver will have a little over four years to serve out his sentence.

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VICTORIA — A homeless man used his cellphone to record 78 unsuspecting women using the toilet in Victoria public washrooms, provincial court has heard.

Garth Galligan, 34, pleaded guilty to unlawfully recording the women in places where they could reasonably expect to have privacy. Galligan also pleaded guilty to breaching his probation by being in the women’s washroom at the Empress Hotel on Aug. 26, 2019. He will be sentenced next week.

Crown prosecutor Lexi Pace told the court that Galligan breached his probation on the same day he was released from jail after serving time for a sexual assault in the women’s washroom of the Royal British Columbia Museum and a disturbing incident at the McDonald’s on Douglas Street.

In December 2018, Galligan approached a young woman in the women’s washroom at the museum, tried to push her into a stall and groped her. Another woman intervened and he ran off.

Galligan also followed a woman into the washroom at the McDonald’s and propositioned her for sex. Galligan was pushing on a stall door to see if it was locked and not taking no for an answer, said Pace. The woman yelled at him to leave and called police.

Within hours of his release, Galligan was found by a member of the hotel’s housekeeping staff standing topless on a toilet seat with his pants around his ankles. She ordered him to leave.

On Sept. 1, another housekeeper walked into the women’s washroom and found a sign taped outside a toilet stall. The door was slightly ajar and the housekeeper saw Galligan naked inside the stall. She was frightened, told him to leave and alerted security, but Galligan fled, said Pace.

On Oct. 7, a woman using a bathroom stall at the hotel noticed a cellphone screen coming from the stall beside her when she flushed the toilet, said Pace. “She was horrified and didn’t know how to react. The phone was then pulled back into the occupied stall. The woman was shaken and reported the matter.”

Galligan fled but he was later identified through security cameras at the hotel.

On Oct. 10, Galligan was arrested and his cellphone was seized, said Pace. Police found a video which was a compilation of other videos showing 58 women in toilet stalls.

“These are single clips which have been strung together in one video. Most reveal the women’s buttocks and genital areas,” said Pace. “From watching the video, I can say it might surprise the court how proximal and clear the view is. … It’s extremely intimate and invasive.”

The Oct. 6 video is 46 minutes and 18 seconds in length and Galligan’s face appears on the video 13 times, she said. It’s believed the video clips were recorded between Aug. 26 and Oct. 6.

A further 20 women were video recorded between Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.

Of the 78 women, six were not recorded in a state of undress or using the toilet.

No one’s face was visible on the video, except Galligan’s. It’s not clear where the videos were taken.

Galligan suffers from serious mental-health problems and drug addiction. He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, substance use disorder for both cannabis and amphetamines, anti-social personality disorder and paraphilic disorder.

Galligan was required to report daily to the Assertive Community Treatment team, which helps him. Although Galligan was ordered to live at the Salvation Army, he didn’t and he began using hard drugs, said Pace.

Galligan was warned by the Crown to abide by his conditions, but breaches persisted.

Mitigating factors are Galligan’s Indigenous background and his early guilty pleas, said the prosecutor.

“This is not a trial that anyone wants to attend,” Pace said.

Galligan’s planned, deliberate, practiced actions are aggravating factors, she said. “It’s not impulsive. It’s not a one-off at all.”

Even though he’s under the highest level of supervision in the community, he still visited women’s washrooms at the Empress Hotel three times in a 2 1/2-month period.

Court-ordered reports prepared to assist with sentencing show Galligan has a high risk to reoffend.

Pace and defence lawyer Alex Tait presented a joint submission to the court asking for an 18-month global sentence followed by a three-year probation order.

“This is a very difficult case and Mr. Tait and I have been struggling with it. We’ve had numerous discussions,” said Pace. After his release for these offences, Galligan will be referred again to the Assertive Community Treatment team, she said.

Tait noted that his client’s offending only started at age 30 in 2016.

Galligan was apprehended at birth from the Buffalo Tribe in Saskatchewan and was eventually adopted at age five.

“His underlying problem is homelessness. He has nowhere to go,” said Tait.

Galligan now understands his behaviour unacceptable, said the defence lawyer.

“He has a long road ahead to get help. He needs to stay away from drugs and get housed. … If he had his own place to go, he may have a much better opportunity for success,” said Tait.

“Last time, he was released to the street or the Sally Ann.”

The judge is expected to sentence Galligan on Tuesday.

ldickson@timescolonist.com 

The husband of missing New Westminster woman Nirla Sharma was released on bail this week after previously being charged with threatening his wife and then violating bail conditions.

The couple’s daughter insists he is distraught about the disappearance and played no role in the vanishing.

Rishi Deo Sharma, 44, is accused of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm on Jan. 25 and then breaching three release orders between Jan. 26 and Feb. 25 after his arrest. None of the charges have been proven in court.

A Feb. 28 release order shows that Risha Sharma is now required to follow 12 conditions. He is due back in court March 4.

Vanessa Sharma, 20, has been searching for her mother and putting up missing-person posters around the city. Search-and-rescue teams and police have been working around the clock, and keeping in close contact with the family, she said.

Her father’s charges are a distraction from what matters more than anything right now, which is finding her mom, she said.

“I know — and everybody that truly knows us knows — that there is nobody that my dad loves more than my mom, aside from his kids,” she said.

Vanessa Sharma said she spoke with her father Friday and he could barely get a word out because he is so distraught about his high-school sweetheart going missing. She has hope that she will be found soon.

“My mom is the toughest person that I know and that’s the only reason that I feel like I’ve been keeping it together as well as I have been,” she said. “We just want to hug her and tell her how much we missed her, and how much we love her, and just never let her go.”

Nirla Sharma, a 44-year-old mother of two, was last seen Sunday at around 9 p.m. at her home in the 300-block of Lawrence Street in New West.

Her family told police she had gone to bed wearing pink pyjamas and a pink T-shirt. Family members heard the front door chime at around 4 a.m. on Monday but Sharma, who typically arrives at her job at B.C. Hydro in Vancouver at around 6:30 a.m., didn’t make it into work and hasn’t been heard from since.

The New West police major-crime unit is investigating the disappearance. Sharma, who left her keys, wallet, and cellphone at home, is being treated as a high-risk missing person.

“We are very concerned for Mrs. Sharma because she has not shown up for work, and there are no obvious reasons why she left at 4 a.m. She left without telling anyone, and did not take any of her personal belongings, which is out of character for her,” New West police Sgt. Jeff Scott said earlier this week. “We are asking for the public’s help to locate her so that we can ensure her well-being.”

Cops described her as a South Asian woman, 5-foot-4 with a slim build, weighing about 138 pounds. She has a medium complexion, short black hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo on her left arm of an OM symbol and tattoos of a crown on her right wrist, a rose on her tailbone and a design on her left ankle.

Police said she was last seen wearing pyjamas but may be wearing a black jacket with a hood and orange Nike shoes.

Investigators are looking for dashcam footage from anyone who may have been driving in the 300-block of Lawrence Street between midnight and 6 a.m. on Monday. Anyone with information about Sharma’s whereabouts can call New West police at 604-525-5411 or call 911.

—With files from Kevin Griffin

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It was intended to be a nice weekend getaway of wine touring in the Okanagan.

Instead, it ended in murder in Room 205 of the Best Western Plus Wine Country Hotel in West Kelowna.

The Tejwant Danjou murder case keeps serving up surprises.

After flabbergasting his defence lawyer, the Crown prosecutor and the judge on Tuesday with a spontaneous guilty plea, Danjou backtracked on Wednesday, and on  Friday, in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna, Danjou had his three-day-old guilty plea officially withdrawn.

He then pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder of his common-law wife Rama Gauravarapu in the West Kelowna hotel room on July 22, 2018.

After the flip-flop, and in unusual swiftness for a court case, Danjou’s murder trial by judge alone started immediately, without even the traditional 15-minute break.

The rapid-fire series of events left Danjou, 70, unperturbed.

Related

• B.C. man asks to withdraw surprise guilty plea to second-degree murder
• Surrey man charged with murder of woman at West Kelowna hotel

He sat calmly in the prisoner’s box of Courtroom 1 in jail-issue red sweatshirt and sweatpants with his arms crossed.

At issue with Danjou’s guilty plea Tuesday was that the followup paperwork included the phrase “intent to kill.” Danjou maintains he did not intend to murder Gauravarapu.

Danjou’s lawyer, Donna Turko, clarified in court Friday that earlier in the week he “wanted to admit to the killing part, but not the intent to kill part.”

A conviction of second-degree murder carries a life sentence, with the earliest chance of parole 10 years into the sentence.

The Crown prosecutor kicked off the trial with an account of events on July 21 and 22, 2018.

The court heard that on July 21, Danjou and Gauravarapu, who was around 55 years old, travelled from the home they had been sharing in Surrey for three years to West Kelowna and checked into the Best Western. On July 22, they visited Mission Hill Winery, where they had an argument. They returned to the hotel separately.

Danjou moved out of the shared hotel room, and Gauravarapu told him they would be travelling back to Surrey separately.

What happened next is what the Crown called an assault inside the hotel room in which Danjou intended to cause death with the injuries he inflicted.

The Crown said the motive was a troubled relationship in which Danjou is accused of jealousy and drinking.

The Crown put together the timeline and circumstances with the help of closed-circuit TV footage from the Best Western and Mission Hill, analysis of Danjou’s and Gauravarapu’s cellphones, Danjou’s signed admissions, crime-scene DNA evidence, toxicology, and pathologist and police reports.

Const. Lyndsey Schwindt of the West Kelowna RCMP was the first witness called by the Crown.

She recounted the evening of July 22 starting with the dispatch call to Room 205 of the Best Western at 7:14 p.m. for a possible domestic dispute.

Lyndsey and two other officers arrived at the hotel a couple of minutes later and were let into the room by a hotel staffer.

There was blood splatter on the exterior of the door, and when the door was open they could see an Indo-Canadian woman lying on her back on a blood-saturated patch of carpet with a swollen face, two black eyes, a gash over her left eyebrow, bloodied hands and gashes on both side of her neck. Also on the floor was a broken wine bottle and broken glass.

The police put in an emergency call for an ambulance and one of the officers started first aid on the victim, who appeared unconscious, but was still breathing with a gurgling-snoring sound. Gauravarapu died shortly after.

Police and a police dog caught up with Danjou soon after outside the hotel and arrested him.

He’s been in custody since his arrest.

Danjou was a real estate agent in Surrey with Sutton Group. Gauravarapu was a financial planner who worked at a Royal Bank branch

in Surrey.

The trial continues Monday.

Read more at the Kelowna Daily Courier.

A suspect has been arrested after a CN-owned building in Prince Rupert burned down Sunday.

Cpl. Devon Gerrits of the Prince Rupert RCMP said police were called around 4:43 p.m. on Sunday to assist with a fire investigation where arson was suspected. It took firefighters several hours to put out the blaze in the multi-section building. Shortly after cops were called, a man was arrested in connection with the blaze.

While police are still working to determine a motive, Gerrits said the blaze isn’t believed to be related to recent rail blockades that have taken place at CN Rail locations across B.C. and elsewhere in Canada.

The CN building is near Kwinitsa Station on Prince Rupert’s waterfront.

The investigation is continuing.

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VICTORIA — Mounties on Vancouver Island responding to a report of a vehicle hitting a pole recently found two bags containing more than 240 grams of fentanyl. The driver had run off and left the drugs behind.

West Shore RCMP Cpl. Fred Ritchie said 240 g of fentanyl would make up about 2,400 individual doses of the “extremely dangerous and deadly drug.”

After the Feb. 1 collision in the 3400-block of Happy Valley Road, the local crime reduction unit began a drug-trafficking investigation, setting up surveillance. A suspect was tracked to a basement suite near Langford Lake Road and Langford Parkway.

A 26-year-old man was arrested Feb. 22. A search of the suite uncovered a loaded handgun, drugs including methamphetamine and steroids, and thousands-of-dollars in cash. The man remains in custody.

Ritchie described it as a “large-scale” drug trafficking operation.

Another drug bust on Feb. 18 involved four search warrants being executed with links to trafficking at a View Royal apartment. All told, there were three significant drug seizures in February, said West Shore RCMP Insp. Todd Preston.

“Our specialized units are an invaluable part of this type of work and the detachment is committed to combating drug trafficking in the West Shore,” he said.

Read more Vancouver Island news at timescolonist.com

A Kamloops man who was shot while sleeping next to his baby when a gun was inadvertently fired from a neighbouring apartment unit initially thought he had injured himself on a mattress spring.

Derek Cornies was testifying on Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops in the jury trial of Bradley Hartling, who is charged with armed robbery, assault with a weapon, careless use of a firearm, uttering threats, pointing a firearm and using a firearm in the commission of an offence.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in a first-floor apartment unit at 805 Holt St. in Brocklehurst the early-morning hours of Nov. 4, 2017.

In his opening statement to the 12-person jury, Crown prosecutor Tim Livingston said surveillance video from the apartment unit shows Hartling, 30, accidentally firing his gun while pistol-whipping a man. Jurors were told investigators determined the bullet went into a couch, then through a wall and into the suite next door.

“We fell asleep on the hide-a-bed,” Cornies said. “I remember waking up, my hand was in pain. I looked down and there was blood on my hand. There were two holes in my hand. We thought I caught it in the hide-a-bed springs. So we packed up our kids and we went to the hospital.”

Cornies said he received stitches at the Royal Inland Hospital, then returned home with his family.

“When we were there [at the hospital], my friend was joking around on Facebook that I had been shot,” he said. “We looked around the apartment, we looked at the window. We couldn’t see a hole where I would have got shot from. We went to put the bed away and we found the bullet in the middle of the bed.”

Cornies said his wife then found a bullet hole in the wall. The couple phoned police, placed the bullet in a Ziplock bag and met investigators at a nearby 7-Elevens store, jurors were told.

The trial is scheduled to last two weeks.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. has been notified after a suspect was injured during a Chilliwack arrest that spanned multiple floors of an apartment building.

According to an RCMP news release, Chilliwack RCMP and Abbotsford police were conducting a joint investigation when they learned Monday evening that a suspect wanted on several warrants was at a Chilliwack apartment in the 9200-block of Mary Street.

As police were preparing for an arrest outside the building, the suspect fled from an apartment balcony onto another and broke into a second unit.

Officers were able to track the suspect to a third-floor balcony and a police dog was sent in. Police allege the suspect assaulted the dog before officers moved in.

During the arrest, a less lethal shotgun round was fired and struck the suspect. The suspect was then arrested on the first floor after reportedly jumping from the third floor.

The suspect suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The IIOBC is looking into whether police actions or inactions were linked to the man’s injuries.

Mission RCMP have released a photo of a suspect vehicle believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run accident that sent a 71-year-old man to hospital with serious injuries.

The incident happened around 7 p.m. on Feb. 28.

A pedestrian was struck by a pickup while walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Carbou Street and 14th Avenue in Mission. The man was airlifted to hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Police say the driver of the truck didn’t stop and fled the scene.

The vehicle is described as a dark grey/silver 2000s Ford F250. Police suspect the truck will have damage to the front driver’s side or front grill.

Anyone with information can contact Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

VICTORIA — In four decades of experience helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, Tracy Porteous has seen a familiar theme: Women so traumatized by their attacks that they suffer in silence at work until they lose their job.

And so Porteous had high praise for a B.C. government bill introduced Tuesday that would require employers to provide five paid days of leave from work for victims of violence.

“I can’t tell you, in the years I’ve been doing this work, how many survivors I know of who didn’t want to report it to the police because of the chain reaction that would cause them needing to be off work, and then feeling they would lose their jobs, or some who have lost their jobs,” she said.

“I know a number of women who lost their jobs as a result of being victimized and not feeling like they could tell their employer because these things are deeply humiliating and traumatizing.”

Porteous, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C., said she’s tried to help one woman so traumatized by an assault she wasn’t able to explain to her boss why she was late for work three days in a row, or another woman who suffered nightly beatings and became a wreck at work because she wasn’t able to concentrate.

The power of the new government legislation, if passed, will be to enshrine the right in law to paid time off, so someone can use the time to find a new place to live, enrol children in a new school and break away from the abuser, said Porteous.

If passed, the legislation would make it against the law for employers to refuse paid leaves for violence in the same way that people are legally entitled to other basic employment standards.

The proposal was widely praised Tuesday by both advocacy groups and business organizations, as well as all political parties.

“A person facing domestic or sexual violence needs and deserves any support their community can offer them,” said Ian Tostenson, CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association.

“Paid leave will make it easier, especially for people with children, to escape abusive situations. Our membership has expressed concern about affordability, but we all agree that we, as a part of our wider community, have a responsibility to help people escape abuse in any way we can.”

Labour Minister Harry Bains said the legislation would require employers to allow for up to five non-consecutive days of paid leave, as well as five non-consecutive days of unpaid leave for full or part-time employees. Workers are also entitled to 15 additional unpaid weeks under a law government passed in 2019.

Parents or guardians of someone suffering from violence can also access the paid leave.

“We know that when people have support and job security they are much more likely to be able to leave an abusive environment,” said Bains.

The definition of domestic violence could also include emotional violence or threats of harm, said Bains.

“Most employers are understanding,” he said. “I’ve seen other jurisdictions that have started this and there is hardly any complaints.”

The move would bring B.C. into line with most other provinces, except Alberta, where paid leave for employees suffering domestic or sexual violence ranges from two to five days.

Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said his party will vote for the legislation.

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KELOWNA — Accused murderer Tejwant Danjou asked for a ride to the hospital after being found by police covered in blood and hiding in a dumpster.

Danjou, charged with killing his common-law wife, told arresting officers his heart was racing after he was hauled out of the dumpster and handcuffed.

“I need to go to the hospital because my heart is beating very fast,” Danjou says on an audio recording of his arrest, played during the third day of his trial for second-degree murder.

Danjou told police he thought a police dog bit him during the arrest, but he appeared nonchalant. “I think he bit me, but that’s OK. He’s a dog,” Danjou says in a clear and calm voice on the recording made by police.

Danjou, found in a recycling dumpster near the West Kelowna hotel where he was alleged to have murdered Rama Gauravarapu, gave apparently contradictory answers when asked if he understands he’s being arrested for homicide.

“Maybe,” Danjou says when asked if he understands that he’s being arrested.

“What is homicide?” he says moments later.

Told by the arresting officer, RCMP Const. Rick Goodwin, that homicide involves the killing of a person and asked again if he understands, Danjou replies: “No.”

But he says “I do” when asked if he understands his Charter rights, and he says “No sir” when asked if he wants to call a lawyer.

Throughout the interaction with police, Danjou is polite, saying “Thank you,” and asking Goodwin’s name. He sounds slightly testy when he rebuffs police offers to help him get up off the ground, where he’s been placed while being handcuffed.

“I can get up myself,” Danjou tells officers.

Goodwin, one of the first officers to respond to the Best Western Plus Wine Country Hotel after reports of a disturbance in one of the rooms on July 22, 2018, said Danjou did not appear agitated after being found in the dumpster.

“His demeanour seemed perfectly calm at the time,” Goodwin testified.

The Crown says Danjou killed Gauravarapu, with whom he’d been in a common-law relationship for several years, after the pair had been at the Mission Hill Family Estate Winery earlier that day. Both were residents of the Lower Mainland; Danjou was a realtor and Gauravarapu was an RBC financial planner.

During opening statements last week, the Crown said the relationship was a troubled one characterized by Danjou’s jealousy and excessive drinking. Initially, Danjou pleaded guilty to second-degree murder but was allowed to withdraw the plea after indicating through his lawyer he did not intend to kill Gauravarapu.

During the trial, police have testified they didn’t notice any particular signs of impairment by alcohol or drugs when they arrested Danjou, who was covered in blood when taken into custody. A paramedic called to the scene measured Danjou’s blood pressure at 121 over 89, which she told Danjou is “fine.”

“I’m good,” Danjou said, when asked his overall condition. But he also added, “Lots of booze.”

The trial continues.

Read more B.C. news at kelownadailycourier.ca

The man who botched a 2008 hit on drug trafficker Dennis Karbovanec will be one of two key Crown witnesses against his former associate Jamie Bacon, a B.C. Supreme Court jury heard Tuesday.

Crown prosecutor Keith Boland said in his opening submission that the would-be hitman, who can only be identified as CD, would tell the jury how Bacon asked him to kill Karbovanec in the weeks leading up to the Dec. 31, 2008 shooting in Mission.

Boland told jurors and Justice Catherine Wedge that the other important Crown witness, dubbed AB in a publication ban order, was also an unsavoury criminal who was there on Mission’s Bench Avenue when CD fired at Karbovanec.

Bacon is charged with one count of counselling CD to kill Karbovanec, who escaped the attempt on his life with only minor injuries.

The trial is the second for Bacon on the charge after his first ended last year in a mistrial. Wedge instructed the jury not to speculate about what happened in the earlier case.

Boland said it would be up to jurors to assess the credibility of CD and AB based on all the evidence brought forward over the next 12 weeks and in light of their criminal pasts.

“Each of them had an extensive involvement in the drug trafficking trade and … in 2008 both had formed a working relationship with Mr. Bacon, who was working in the drug trafficking trade with others as part of his crew,” Boland said. “This crew included Dennis Karbovanec, a man by the name of Kevin LeClair, and others.”

Both CD and AB “relied on Mr. Bacon as a main supplier,” he said.

“You will come to know that both AB and CD in 2008 were criminals. They engaged in drug trafficking, they used drugs, they participated in violence often associated to that lifestyle. They did some awful things, up to and of most relevance, trying to kill Mr. Karbovanec.”

But both later turned to police and agreed to be witnesses, Boland said, adding that details of the immunity deals they struck would be part of the evidence called.

“We expect CD will testify that at the time of the shooting he owed a large debt to Mr. Bacon related to drug trafficking. We expect that he will testify that he was instructed by Mr. Bacon to kill Mr. Karbovanec and for carrying out the killing, his payment would be forgiveness of that debt,” Boland said.

AB was initially asked by Bacon to do the hit, the prosecutor said, but told the accused that he wasn’t interested in pulling the trigger.

But he stayed involved in the planning and “was present when the attempted killing took place,” Boland said.

“He will tell you about meeting with Mr. Bacon in the month of December and the discussions they had about Karbovanec and some of the problems Karbovanec was causing both of them. I anticipate that he will testify that as a result of these meetings Mr. Bacon made it clear that he wanted to have Mr. Karbovanec killed. This surprised AB as he understood Mr. Karbovanec and Mr. Bacon to be friends.”

Boland said there were five people present at the shooting, which took place just after 10 p.m. — Karbovanec, associates named Matthew Johnston and Edward “Sanchez” Felix, along with CD and AB.

Only CD and AB had prior knowledge of the plan, he said. None of the others would be called as witnesses.

CD picked up the Glock he used at AB’s Mission stash house, Boland said, adding that Bacon insisted that CD use the .45-calibre firearm he provided.

Karbovanec was lured out on Dec. 31 by telling him they were all going to rob another drug trafficker. The group met at Mission Rotary Sports Park, then drove in separate vehicles to the end of a cul-de-sac on Bench Ave.

As CD pulled out the gun and fired at his target, it jammed and he had to clear it, Boland said.

Bench Avenue residents will testify that they heard bangs that night, saw tail lights in the dark and later found cartridges on the street outside, Boland said.

Karbovanec and Johnston ran off and made their way to Mission Memorial Hospital where Karbovanec was treated for a graze to the head and a bullet to his lower back, Boland said.

AB and CD would testify that they abandoned the stolen car they had been in and ran along Windebank Creek where CD tossed the Glock. Police later searched unsuccessfully for the gun, but a young boy is expected to testify that he found the firearm in March 2018 while playing along the creek — almost 10 years after the shooting.

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A 29-year-old Nanaimo man has been arrested and charged with child pornography offences.

Tori Bruce Schild was arrested Feb. 27 and charged with one count each of importing/distributing child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Mounties, who had been investigating Schild since May of 2018, carried out a search warrant on his residence in September where they seized items they say supported charges.

Police say no local victims were identified.

Schild has been released from custody and scheduled to appear in Nanaimo court on March 10.

“Our officers are dedicated and extremely knowledgeable in the techniques and software used by offenders who attempt to mask their online identities,” said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien. “There is nowhere to hide, and if you are involved in these activities, the next knock on your door, could be from the police.”

A 57-year-old Surrey man, who spent more than 25 years volunteering with Scouts Canada, has been charged with accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography.

Edward Johannas Vandeyck was arrested in December after a two-month investigation by Surrey RCMP’s internet child exploitation unit.

The police say the investigation, which began Sept. 26, identified an individual who was making child porn available on the internet.

On Dec. 6, police executed a search warrant at a home in South Surrey.

Vandeyck, a computer systems engineer, was charged Feb. 28 with two counts of importing/distributing child porn and one count each of possession of child porn and accessing child porn.

He was released from custody pending his next court appearance, which hasn’t been set.

“Edward Vandeyck has been in a position of trust, and has been in direct contact with children in the community as a result of his affiliation with Scouts Canada,” the RCMP said in a news release.

Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Vandeyck was a volunteer with Scouts Canada from 1992-2018.

“Working with children, watching them develop into worthwhile citizens is gratifying,” he wrote in his profile.

In a statement to Postmedia News, Scouts Canada executive director John Petitti said the group first learned of the charges against Vandeyck on Tuesday.

“Nothing has been brought to our attention to suggest that scouting youth have been put at risk as a result of Mr. Vandeyck’s actions,” said Petitti. “The RCMP were aware of Mr. Vandeyck’s involvement in scouting but did not contact Scouts Canada in the course of their investigation. We have contacted the RCMP and will support their investigation in any way that we can.”

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Coquitlam RCMP are warning the public to beware of phone scammers after a woman was taken for $16,000 by fraudsters earlier this week.

Police say the victim, a 71-year-old new Canadian, received a phone call on March 1 from someone claiming to be corporate security from a Canadian bank who told her that her credit card was compromised. In order to recover the money, the woman was pressured by the fraudster into buying more than $16,000 in gift cards at three different stores. Police say once the gift-card numbers were shared over the phone, the money was gone.

“Scammers are targeting a small, vulnerable percentage of our population with high-pressure scare tactics,” said Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. “Criminals are counting on our collective silence. Only by educating our community can we help stop these crimes.”

Banks and government agencies will never request payment in gift cards, Bitcoin or any form of online or virtual credit.

“For many scams, the best defence is to verify. If it’s a legitimate call from the bank or the government, you’ll be able to hang up, talk to a trusted friend, then look up the bank’s number yourself and call them back,” he said.

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Three 16-year-old Ontario boys were arrested after the RCMP seized guns, drugs and around $30,000 in cash during a raid on a Kelowna home last week.

The Kelowna RCMP’s street enforcement unit executed a search warrant Feb. 28 at a residence in the 1200-block of Ellis Street. Police say the warrant was related to a street-level drug trafficking investigation targeting a provincial crime group with suspected ties to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Cash and undisclosed quantities of suspected fentanyl and cocaine — already packaged for immediate distribution on the street — were seized in the raid along with two loaded handguns.

Three 16-year-old boys were arrested and later released into the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development on strict conditions, pending a future court appearance in Kelowna.

The RCMP says the three teens, whose names can’t be released, are well-known to Canadian law-enforcement agencies.

“This crime group has ties to not only Kelowna and B.C.’s Lower Mainland, but as far-reaching as coast-to-coast in Canada, which gives them the ability to move their associates throughout the country to further the illicit sale of drugs,” said Cpl. Jeff Carroll of the Kelowna RCMP’s drug section.

The three teens are associated with the Driftwood Crips, a notorious Toronto-area gang.

In 2017, Toronto police targeted the gang in a year-long probe that culminated with a series of raids across Ontario. Around 120 suspected Crips members and associates were arrested and charged with more than 660 offences including attempted murder, kidnapping conspiracies, robbery, and trafficking in firearms and drugs.

The Driftwood Crips, who have been active in the drug-and-gun trade since the mid-1990s, have aligned with, and are running, drug lines for the Brothers Keepers , a B.C. outfit that is locked in a bloody Lower Mainland gang conflict with rivals from at least two other groups.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, spokesperson for B.C.’s anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, says the recruitment of gang associates from Ontario to work in the B.C. drug trade is nothing new.

“It’s something we are paying attention to more and more as Ontario gang members come here seeking to work the drug lines at the lowest levels for the gangs in B.C.,” Winpenny said. “What is very concerning, however, is the age these three kids in Kelowna.

“Young kids from Ontario may be familiar with the drug scene there but are not be familiar as to what is happening in B.C. These young people come here and get subjected violence, murder and even jail.”

—With files from Kim Bolan and Chris Doucette

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After he was arrested for murder, a Surrey real estate agent wanted Kelowna Mounties to investigate his common-law wife for infidelity.

In handcuffs at Kelowna General Hospital, Tejwant Danjou told police he suspected Rama Gauravarapu, who he’s accused of killing, was cheating on him.

“Mr. Danjou stated his wife was having an affair,” RCMP Const. Rick Goodwin testified Wednesday at Danjou’s B.C. Supreme Court trial in Kelowna for the second-degree murder of Gauravarapu.

While being examined at the hospital following his arrest, Danjou told Goodwin that police would find “crucial evidence” of the affair inside an F-150 truck in Surrey. “He wanted me to send officers to Surrey to have this stuff obtained,” Goodwin testified.

Related

• Accused wife-killer hid in dumpster after Kelowna motel murder, court hears
• B.C. man asks to withdraw surprise guilty plea to second-degree murder

Danjou also told Goodwin police should obtain security camera footage from Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in West Kelowna. Danjou and Gauravarapu had visited the winery earlier on July 22, 2018, the day he’s accused of killing her in a West Kelowna hotel room.

“He said there would be video surveillance there, and he wanted me to get the video,” Goodwin said.

Danjou is accused of killing Gauravarapu, an RBC financial planner, in a room at the hotel, and then hiding in a nearby dumpster, where he was found by police and arrested. The Crown says the pair’s relationship was a troubled one, characterized by Danjou’s excessive drinking and his jealousy.

Goodwin said Danjou made the comments about suspecting his wife of an affair spontaneously and not in response to any questions that were asked of him. Goodwin said his role was simply to keep custody of Danjou while he was examined at hospital.

“I wasn’t there to solicit any information from Mr. Danjou,” Goodwin said.

Throughout his interactions with Danjou, Goodwin said the accused was civil, unemotional, compliant, and seemed to be aware of what was  going on.

“Mr. Danjou was polite the whole time,” Goodwin said. “He was always calm, never yelled at me, never swore at me.”

During cross-examination, Danjou’s lawyer, Donna Turko, noted that Danjou had asked Goodwin his name five times during their interaction.

Turko asked Goodwin if it didn’t seem that Danjou was “a little off,” and if he wasn’t surprised to be asked his name five times.

“I don’t recall being shocked Mr. Danjou didn’t remember my name,”

Goodwin responded. “Maybe he had a lot on his mind.”

The trial continues.

Read more B.C. news at kelownadailycourier.ca

Police are seeking witnesses to what’s believed to be a targeted attack that took place in Richmond on Saturday morning.

Just after 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, police were called after a man was brought to local hospital with a “significant head wound,” according to Richmond RCMP. The man had been outside a restaurant in the 5300 block of No. 3 Road when he was attacked by a group of people.

“Investigators know there were other people in the area at the time of the assault and are asking anyone who may have witnessed it to contact police,” said Cpl. Adriana Peralta of the attack that took place in the parking lot of Lansdowne Centre shopping mall.

Police believe the suspects left the mall parking lot heading southbound in two separate vehicles.

The attack is believed to be targeted, said Peralta. The investigation is continuing while the victim remains in hospital in stable condition.

Anyone who witnessed the attack or who may have information about the attack is asked to contact investigators at  604-278-1212 or by email at Richmond_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca .

Those who wish to remain anonymous can share their information with CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

A Vancouver man who pleaded guilty in California to conspiring to import methamphetamine and money laundering will in sentenced in San Diego next month.

Rohen Sharma, 36, admitted his guilt to all seven counts sworn against him, then sealed, by a grand jury in 2016.

Sharma unwittingly crossed the border on foot at Blaine in October 2017 and was arrested.

He admitted his guilt in June 2018, but had his sentencing hearing delayed several times since then.

It is currently scheduled for April 6 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael M. Anello.

U.S. court documents state that “beginning on a date unknown and continuing up to and including Oct. 27, 2016,” Sharma “did knowingly and intentionally conspire with other persons known and unknown” to distribute methamphetamine in the Southern District of California.

The other charges all relate to transferring or transmitting funds totalling US$46,326 on several dates in 2016.

Sharma has been ordered to forfeit that cash.

In a related case, a man who claimed to work for Sharma’s drug trafficking organization pleaded guilty in 2018 to cocaine distribution and money laundering charges in San Diego. Mario Martinez-Torres was sentenced to 27 months.

Court documents in his case provided more details about Sharma’s gang, stating that U.S. Homeland Security special agents learned in August 2016 of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) “which facilitates the transportation of narcotics and bulk currency between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.”

“After engaging with the leader of the organization, Rohen Sharma, agents discovered that the DTO also coordinated the trafficking of multi-kilogram quantities of methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States and Canada.”

An undercover agent met Sharma in February 2016 “to discuss the transportation of narcotics.”

“During the meeting, Sharma told (the undercover agent) that he was looking for someone to assist him in transporting methamphetamine from Tijuana. Mexico to Seattle,” the court document in the Martinez-Torres case state.

The agent told Sharma that he owned a trucking company and Sharma agreed to pay him to transport drugs.

Sharma made a plan to ship methamphetamine on March 8, 2016 via encrypted text messages with the agent.

The agent received a black cooler-bag “from an unknown member of the DTO at the Otay Mesa Pedestrian Port of Entry” which is located at the San Diego-Tijuana border.

“An examination of the contents of the bag revealed five Tupperware containers containing a clear crystal-like substance, which tested positive for methamphetamine,” the court documents said.

After the agent contacted Sharma again, the Canadian told him to “count it bro’ and weigh it up.”

Three days later Sharma told the agent he had a money courier ready to pick up $27,500 owed for the transaction.

The agent later got a text from the guy picking up the money, who called himself Kondor. Kondor told the agent to use the code word “superman” when dealing with another purported member of the gang, who was also an undercover agent.

On March 20, 2016, that agent contacted Martinez, saying: “I’m calling on behalf of Superman.” They arranged to meet in a Home Depot parking lot in San Diego for the cash transfer.

Martinez was later arrested after crossing the Mexican border into California with cocaine in his car.

Sources said Sharma was a close associate of the late Sukh Dhak, who was gunned down in Burnaby in November 2012. In fact Sharma is believed to have been close-by when Dhak and his bodyguard Thomas Mantel were shot to death at the Executive Inn in the 4200-block of Lougheed Highway.

Sharma is also associated with Ricky Korasak, a former Metro Vancouver realtor wanted in both California for drug trafficking and in B.C. for his alleged role in a 2015 double stabbing.

Korasak filed a civil suit against Sharma in October 2016, claiming he had sustained injuries in an accident two years earlier while Sharma’s passenger in a 2004 Dodge Caravan. But he didn’t pursue the claim, according to B.C. Supreme Court records.

Sharma has a criminal history in B.C. He was convicted in Vancouver of trafficking in 2004 and got a six-month conditional sentence.

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Vancouver police are seeking witnesses to an assault last month outside the Fairview Pub that left one man in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The VPD believe two men were involved in a confrontation outside the bar at 898 West Broadway around 2 a.m. on Feb. 29.

Police say a 49-year-old man was assaulted and taken to hospital.

His name has not been released.

“The nature of his injuries are very serious,” said VPD spokesman Aaron Roed.

The VPD says a male suspect has been identified and the investigation continues. No arrests have been made.

Anyone who witnessed or has information about the incident can contact the VPD major crimes section at 604-717-2541 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

“We want people who were in the area … may have dashcam video (while) driving by,” said Roed. “Anyone who was on the sidewalk and may have watched … please come forward.”

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