#1. SHOOTING INCIDENT IN SURREY
At about 8:30 p.m. on July 30 (Wednesday), Surrey RCMP responded to a report of shots fired in the 7700-block of 128th Street. When police arrived they located several shell casings at the scene but no victim or suspects.
A short while later RCMP received a call from an area hospital advising that a male with a gunshot wound was being treated for his injuries at an area hospital. The 25-year-old male, who is in stable condition, claims he walked out of a business in the area of 77th Avenue and 128th Street when he was shot by unidentified attackers.
Police said that witnesses said they saw several South Asian males fleeing the scene in two black vehicles described as a Volkswagon Jetta or Passat, and a Mercedes, possibly a 500.
Surrey RCMP are looking for witnesses and asking anyone with further information to contact the Serious Crime Unit at (604) 599-0502 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
#2. STABBING INCIDENT AT SURREY WEDDING RECEPTION
Two men were stabbed in a brawl involving a large group of men at an Indo-Canadian wedding reception at a Surrey banquet hall early Sunday morning
Surrey RCMP said the victims received non-life threatening injuries. Both were treated and released from hospital.
Several people were taken into custody and a weapon was recovered. Police have been reviewing surveillance tapes and are looking for witnesses.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Constable McNeill at 599-0502.
#3. SLAIN EAST ASIAN MAN WAS KNOWN TO POLICE
On Monday (July 28) at 10:20 p.m., Vancouver Police were called to the area of the 600-block of East 65th Avenue for a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found a 2002 silver Nissan Altima stopped across the north crosswalk, up against a concrete retaining wall. Inside the car was a lone East Asian man, believed to be in his mid-20s, slumped over in the driver’s seat of the car.
Paramedics arrived within minutes and confirmed the man was dead. It appears he died from gunshot wounds.
The incident took place in an area where many Indo-Canadians reside.
The VPD Homicide Unit is investigating and the Search and Canvass Team scoured the area for evidence.
The victim was identified as Hung Van Bui, who was a survivor of the Fortune Happiness Restaurant shooting just last year in August. He was known to police and believed to be involved in the drug trade. There is no description of the suspects.
Bui was also the prime suspect in the murder of a UPS courier in Edmonton back in 1999. Andrew Allan was stabbed in the stomach in what police believe to be a road-rage incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call the VPD Major Crime Section at 604-717-2500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
This is Vancouver’s 12th homicide of the year. Last year at this time, there were eight homicides.
#4. CBSA SEIZES OVER 800 REPLICA FIREARMS
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently completed an extensive investigation into the illegal importation and sale of replica firearms in Metro Vancouver. During the course of this investigation, the CBSA laid 78 criminal charges and seized over 800 replica firearms.
CBSA Communications Manager Shakila Manzoor told The VOICE on Thursday that the CBSA’s criminal investigation division “were focusing on the improper use of business firearms licences by movie props supply companies.”
She said: “There were two individuals who were recently charged in the investigation and they face charges ranging from smuggling and making false statements to trafficking and unlawfully importing prohibited devices (replica firearms).”
Charged are George Pickell and Matthew John Walsh of Mission. Pickell is alleged to have obtained a business firearms licence using his company Geotech Concepts located in Maple Ridge.
Manzoor said: “He used this licence to import replica firearms for the entertainment industry but instead of selling these replica firearms to the entertainment industry, he actually sold them to Mr. Walsh, who was then going to do a public sale through his stores.”
The two will be appearing at Richmond Provincial Court on August 21.
#5. JUDGE SAYS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT SUSPECT
Provincial Court Justice Paul Meyers has acquitted Bhupinder Bobby Bilvanti Singh Grewal of charges of robbery, break and enter, uttering threats and possession of a machete for the purpose of committing an offence in the April 2007 robbery of Kathleen Williamson in her apartment.
The judge cited several instances of doubtful testimony by the victim.
In one instance, he noted: “In terms of further weaknesses of reliability, the defence points out that Ms. Williamson was adamant that she never screamed at the police that night. The police had come into her suite and she was telephoning Bobby Grewal to scream at him, telling him to bring back her stuff or she was going to turn everybody in. She said she did not scream at the police, she was annoyed that they told her to get off the phone, because that was not a smart thing to do. The police though, testified quite differently. She said, according to the police officers, that they were violating her rights and that they were interfering with her person and they should "get out of here." So the defence, say, that again shows her recollection of the evening, is tainted.”
Interestingly, the judge also pointed out: “The other area that concerns me, is that during her cross-examination, she blurted out at one point, "They all look the same," meaning Indo-Canadians. At first blush, I have heard that type of comment before and generally it is attributable to a form of racism. Whether she intended it that way or not, I do not know. But what I am left with, in this case which is all about identification, the accused happens to be Indo-Canadian, and I have the eyewitness victim saying, "They all look the same." Now, that is a difficulty for me. I can in one sense say, obviously I do not respect the comment, but it was made out of anger and frustration at the way she was being cross-examined by defence counsel. On the other hand, it is a pretty clear bald statement that, in the eyes of this person, that all Indo-Canadian look the same to me. Now, that in an identification case, becomes hugely important.
“She also went on to say, and it may be because she was so angry at the persons who did this to her and at least one of them was East Indian, and she honestly believed it was Mr. Grewal, who is East Indian, she said, "I hate all East Indians. I hate Mr. Grewal. I want him to go to jail for the rest of his life." These comments show, at least the first one, "I hate all East Indians," a general animus against East Indian people. The "I hate Grewal and I want him to go to jail for the rest of his life," I would think, and I am prepared to give her the benefit of doubt on that one, that what she meant, was that she honestly believed it was him, she hates him and she wants him to go to jail. So I do not find those particular statements detracting from her ID. She is certain in her own mind, that it is Grewal and therefore hates him, and wants him to go to jail.
“But the other comment, "I hate all East Indians," I can say, well, maybe that is a result of this incident where at least one or more of the people were East Indian, and now suddenly she hates all East Indians, but I do not know that. I do not know whether the animus towards East Indian people predated this whole thing, and that does cause me some concern about the overall reliability of her evidence.
“If there is an animus towards East Indians, to all East Indians, if in her view, all East Indians look the same, those are important problems I have in assessing her as a reliable, albeit honestly mistaken individual.”
The judge pointed out several instances where there were doubts about the reliability of the victim’s statements.
He said: “At the end of the day, given what I have laid out, in my opinion, if this were a case that had to be decided on the balance of probabilities, I would have no trouble in concluding that Mr. Grewal was the person who robbed and threatened Ms. Williamson, while using a machete, after breaking into her apartment house on April 25th, 2007. However, this is a criminal case, where the burden is, proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The Defence have raised enough question marks in their cross-examination and argument to me, to have me conclude that I do have some reasonable doubts as to whether or not Grewal was the person in question. He probably was, but that is not good enough. I have to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt, that he was the person.”
You can read the entire judgment at: http://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/judgments/pc/2008/02/p08_0211.htm
#6. RCMP: TOBACCO COMPANIES ARE NOT ABOVE THE LAW
The RCMP announced this week that it has concluded a long-running file after two of Canada’s largest tobacco companies entered guilty pleas on Thursday morning in response to indictable offences under Section 240(1)(a) of the Excise Act.
The guilty pleas, from Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited (ITCL) and Rothmans Benson & Hedges (RBH), are the culmination of more than eight years of investigative work by RCMP Customs and Excise sections in Ontario and Québec. As part of agreed statements of fact, the two companies admitted to “aiding persons to sell and be in possession of tobacco manufactured in Canada that was not packed and was not stamped in conformity with the Excise Act and its amendments and Ministerial regulations.”
As a result, the two companies have paid the largest fines ever levied in Canada; ITCL has paid a $200-million fine and RBH $100-million.
This is apart from additional amounts the companies have agreed to pay by way of civil settlements with Canada and the Provinces, which are to be administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). It also includes a commitment by the companies to combat contraband tobacco activities in Canada.
“The result we’ve seen today brings to a close a significant chapter in contraband tobacco history and reconfirms the RCMP’s commitment to bringing such cases to a successful conclusion for the benefit of Canadians,” said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Mike Cabana.
“The message sent today is that no company is above the law,” added Assistant Commissioner Cabana.
The material time of the charges involved illegal activity between the years of 1989-1994. Then, the contraband tobacco market in Canada involved product being produced in Canada, and shipped to locations in the U.S. near the Canada / U.S. border. From there, it was distributed to smugglers or black market distributors who brought it back into Canada for further illegal distribution.
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