Vancouver Canucks winger Daniel Sedin unwittingly took a scenic helicopter trip last week with a longtime gangster who has served time in the U.S. for drug smuggling.

Anti-gang police warned the Canucks about the history of Edward (Skeeter) Russell after Postmedia News obtained a photo of Russell and Sedin that the convicted smuggler posted on social media last week.

“What’s better than watching Daniel Sedin live on the ice?? Flying him and his wife to a remote snowball fight, that’s what LOL,” Russell captioned his photo.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said that for the player’s safety, it was important to notify the team about Russell’s history.

Canucks president Trevor Linden said the team was “completely surprised” when police contacted them about Russell’s background.

It wasn’t the first time Canucks players had been on a helicopter trip with Russell in attendance. Last month, Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi flew with Russell’s friend, pilot Bradley Friesen, to skate on a mountain lake and Russell tagged along in another helicopter.

In a video that Friesen posted on YouTube, he gives a shout-out to his “buddy Skeeter,” pointing to another helicopter.

Linden said in an emailed statement that “Daniel, Bo and Sven share the highest character and integrity and were completely surprised to learn the background about the individual provided by the authorities.”  

“The arrangements for the trips were not made with him directly and any interactions were very minimal on the day. Had our players been aware of his apparent background, they would not have accepted the invitation,” Linden said.

Postmedia has learned that the helicopter trips were arranged through Friesen, a commercial pilot who runs his own YouTube channel with spectacular videos of figure skaters and hockey players at scenic mountain locations.

Houghton said he told the Canucks that as “the provincial anti-gang unit, we think your players should know who they’re hanging out with and that it’s a concern for us.”

“Mr. Russell has a long and well-publicized history of involvement in gang and drug-related activity, including spending significant time in the U.S. prison system,” Houghton said. “We urge people, regardless of their public profile, to conduct due diligence before engaging in activity with businesses or individuals that may put either their personal safety at risk or bring their reputation into disrepute.”

Russell flies for Hunter Helicopters, a Langley company owned by his wife Sheri and her uncle John Urquhart, according to corporate records.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Urquhart declined to comment on the trip with Sedin or the concerns of police.

Sheri and Urquhart wrote reference letters when Russell was sentenced in Seattle in March 2011 to 4½ years in jail after pleading guilty to smuggling marijuana across the border for a drug trafficking organization that U.S. authorities alleged was working for B.C. Hells Angels.

Russell told the U.S. court that he left his criminal life after two co-accused got arrested in June 2008. During the three-year investigation, U.S. authorities seized more than 1,700 pounds of cocaine, 7,000 pounds of B.C. bud and about $3.5 million.

In 2015, Russell’s brother Michael Donald Amy was shot to death in Surrey in a targeted attack.

And in 2014, a convicted killer and key witness at the Surrey Six murder trial testified that he began working in the drug trade with Russell in 2002. The witness, known only as Person Y, admitted he was hired to kill a rival linked to a shooting that injured Russell in 2003.

In 2008, the B.C. director of civil forfeiture filed a suit against Russell seeking forfeiture of large amounts of cash that police seized from him.

The claim said that on April 23, 2005, Surrey Mounties detained Russell at Guildford mall “in the course of an investigation into a possible unlawful drug transaction” and found him carrying $194,190 US.

On Jan. 12, 2008, Delta Police pulled Russell over and found $9,400 in Canadian currency under the passenger seat.

The cash in both cases, “was acquired in whole, or in part, from the defendant Russell’s unlawful activities including money laundering and/or controlled substances offences,” the claim alleged.

Russell denied the money came from illegal activities but later consented to forfeit most of the cash minus $30,560 Canadian for his legal fees.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

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I have to apologize for ignoring blog readers over the last week. Lots of changes are underway at work and I’ve been focused on them and not you!

But I thought you would be interested in this story – I was tipped last week that Skeeter Russell, who’s well-known to Real Scoop readers, was boasting on social media about flying Daniel Sedin in his helicopter last week.

I did some digging and confirmed details of what happened. The Canucks stated very strongly that their star player had no knowledge of Skeeter’s criminal history and that Sedin would never have flown with him had he known.

Here’s the story:

A young Vancouver man awaiting trial on drug trafficking charges was shot to death in Richmond Monday night.

Calvin Chi Hang Zhao, 21, was killed just before 9:30 p.m. in the 7000-block of Ash Street.

He was found sitting in a black Jeep sports utility vehicle, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Cpl. Meghan Foster said.

“The male victim died as a result of his injuries at scene,” she said.  “It is early in the investigation, and while investigators work to determine the motive for the shooting, it appears the homicide was targeted.”

Investigators are looking for a white sport utility vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the shooting. Police will provide more details of the suspect vehicle when they confirm its make and model.

Said Foster: “The selfish act of homicide is one that puts the public at risk, and creates an elevated level of concern for police. For this reason, we need those who have information, to come forward and contact us”.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT at 1-877-551-4448 or by ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Zhao was charged in September 2015 with possession for the purpose of trafficking, resisting arrest and flight from a peace officer. He was due in Vancouver Provincial Court on Jan. 13 for a pre-trial conference. And he was also still before the courts on a July 2015 charge of possession of a controlled substance. That case was due back in court in February.

Edmonton Police are investigating the double-murder of two young B.C. men linked to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Navdeep Sidhu, 24 and Harman Mangat, 22, were found inside a vehicle in Southeast Edmonton on Wednesday. They had been shot.

Two cars allegedly used in shootout may be seized; Suit details what police say led up to confrontation

Vancouver Sun 
Wed Jan 7 2015 
Page: A4 
Section: Westcoast News 
Byline: Kim Bolan 
Source: Vancouver Sun 

The B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office wants to keep two vehicles it alleges were involved in a gang shootout that left an Abbotsford teen dead last October.

In a statement of claim filed Dec. 22, the director of civil forfeiture alleges two Nissan Altimas – one white and one blue – were used by gun-toting members of rival crime groups the day Harwindip Baringh was shot to death.

No charges have been laid in the murder of the 18-year-old.

But the civil suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court lays out what police believe took place in the hours before the Oct. 2 targeted shooting.

Baringh was associated to the “Chahil crime group,” the court document says, and was driving with a passenger in a Jeep Grand Cherokee through a residential neighbourhood the evening he died.

About 6:37 p.m., the Jeep pulled over on Sparrow Drive and a blue 2007 Altima occupied by Baringh’s associates Navdeep Sidhu and Jaskarn Lally stopped beside it, the suit says.

“The passenger window of the blue Altima went down and a conversation took place between the occupants of the two vehicles. The Jeep then drove away and the blue Altima followed behind.”

About 7:45 the same night, surveillance cameras show the Jeep and the blue Altima following a white Acura and the white Altima.

“Mr. Baringh’s Jeep and the occupants of the blue Altima proceeded to follow the white Acura and the white Altima around a turn on Sparrow Drive where they were ambushed by occupants of the white Acura and the white Altima, whose vehicles were parked and blocking the road,” the director of civil forfeiture alleges.

Someone in the Acura got out and sprayed the Jeep with gunfire … An occupant or occupants of Mr. Baringh’s Jeep shot back at the occupants of the white Acura and Altima.”

The blue Altima pulled up closer to the Jeep and “more gun shots were exchanged between the occupants of the four vehicles.” Both Altimas and the Acura took off while the Jeep remained on Sparrow Drive.

Abbotsford Police received the 911 calls about shots fired around 7:46 p.m. and attended the scene to find Baringh’s body inside the Jeep.

“The police found numerous used bullet casings in close proximity to the Jeep,” the suit says. “The police also found several houses in the area of the shooting that had bullet holes penetrating their exterior.”

Investigators obtained search warrants for the two Altimas on Oct. 13. There’s no information in the suit about who owns the Acura and why it was not seized.

The white Altima is registered to Gurmail Brar, who told police his son Darshpreet was the car’s only driver. The director alleges the younger Brar is associated to the Dhaliwal crime group.

“The white Altima has been used to engage in a violent ongoing gang conflict between the Dhaliwal and Chahil crime groups and is a recognized target in that conflict,” the suit says.

“The white Altima was used to facilitate the murder of Mr. Baringh and the attempted murder of his associates and if released is likely to be used to engage in weapons offences and further violent crimes involving firearms.”

When police searched the blue Altima owned by Navdeep Sidhu, they found “bullet holes in the passenger quarter panel and windshield post that had been repaired with bondo putty. The windshield also contained a bullet hole on the bottom of the passenger side.”

The civil forfeiture director said the blue car “was used to conspire against and seek out associates of the Dhaliwal crime group that the occupants of the blue Altima were engaged in a violent conflict with.

“If returned to Mr. Sidhu, (the car) is likely to be used by him or his associates to commit further firearms offences and violent crimes that are likely to cause death or serious bodily harm.”

No statement of defence has yet been filed in the case.

The Canada Border Services Agency announced today that agents seized just under 17 kilograms of cocaine from a woman’s car in October at the Pacific Highway crossing.

The news release said the woman entering Canada was referred for a secondary examination on Oct. 23, 2016. “Border services officers examined the traveller’s vehicle and discovered two bricks of suspected cocaine,” the CBSA said. “The traveller was immediately arrested and afforded her rights. The examination of the vehicle continued and an additional 15 bricks were discovered and seized.”

The total amount of cocaine seized was 16.85 kilograms. It was turned over to Surrey Mounties, along with the woman.

“Our border services officers work diligently to protect our borders from those who try to infiltrate our country with illegal narcotics. We are committed to keeping our communities safe,” CBSA official Linell Redmond said.

There was no information provided about charges or why it took the CBSA almost three months to release details of the seizure.

In 2015, there were 301 narcotic seizures at the Pacific Highway Port of Entry. In 2016, there were 574 narcotic seizures. 

Homicide investigators have a suspect in custody after the murder of a man at a business inside a Richmond industrial park.

Cpl. Meghan Foster, of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said police were called about the slaying about 6:30 a.m. Monday near Viking Way and Cambie Road.

Officers found a man inside the business who had succumbed to injuries “consistent with homicide,” Foster said.

“Shortly after the homicide occurred, a male suspect was identified and apprehended by police. The male suspect remains in custody, and IHIT is liaising with Crown Counsel to determine if he will face any homicide-related charges,” she said. “The investigation is in its infancy, but police believe that the homicide was not a random event. The male victim’s identity will not be released as it does not currently further the police investigation.”

Foster said the two parties believed to be involved knew each other.

Yellow police tape surrounded the offices of Boan Driving School, 102-3600 Viking Way, most of Monday.

The business was incorporated in 2014, according to documents from the corporate registry. The single director, Martin Shen, is listed online as the company’s driving instructor teaching students how to get their Class 1 licence.

No one answered the company’s office or cellphone number Monday.

The murder is the second in Richmond in just week. On Jan. 10, 21-year-old Calvin Chi Hang Zhao, of Vancouver, was shot to death in a black Jeep SUV near Ash Street and Granville Avenue.

Related

• REAL SCOOP: IHIT identifies young man murdered in Richmond

No one has been charged.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Richmond RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on the scene of a suspected homicide at the Boan Driving School at 3600 Viking Way in Richmond, B.C., January 16, 2017.

Richmond RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on the scene of a suspected homicide at the Boan Driving School at 3600 Viking Way in Richmond, B.C., January 16, 2017.

Richmond RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on the scene of a suspected homicide at the Boan Driving School at 3600 Viking Way in Richmond, B.C., January 16, 2017.

Richmond RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on the scene of a suspected homicide at the Boan Driving School at 3600 Viking Way in Richmond, B.C., January 16, 2017.

Richmond RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) on the scene of a suspected homicide at the Boan Driving School at 3600 Viking Way in Richmond, B.C., January 16, 2017.

A high-profile Hells Angel from B.C. was the target of a murder attempt by a purported Hamilton hitman, Postmedia News has learned.

B.C.’s anti-gang agency announced late Friday that two Ontario men had been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder in separate plots that targeted two Metro Vancouver men in the spring of 2015.

Neither of the alleged victims was named by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.

However, on Monday Postmedia obtained a copy of the indictment that alleges one of the men charged, Knowah Truth Ferguson, attempted to kill Hells Angel Damion Ryan with a firearm in Richmond on April 10, 2015.

Ryan, who’s from Metro Vancouver, is now living in Greece and remains a full-patch member of the notorious biker gang.

He regularly travels back and forth to B.C. where his uncle is also a full-patch Hells Angel.

CFSEU spokesman Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said the agency learned of the April 2015 attempted murder “of a man well known for gang involvement and criminal connections” days after it happened and began “a complex multi-jurisdictional investigation that spanned the country.”

“Investigators believe that this was a highly planned and targeted attempt that saw alleged contracted hit men travel to British Columbia from Ontario for the purposes of killing the intended target,” Houghton said. “The attempt was unsuccessful.”

Houghton said police also uncovered evidence of a second plot to kill an unknown person in Vancouver in June 2015

Ferguson, 19, and Gino Gavin McCall, 30, are also charged with conspiracy to commit murder between April 11 and June 15, 2015.

Both men face a third count of possession of loaded prohibited firearms without authorization or licences in Vancouver on June 14, 2015.

Ferguson and McCall have been in custody since June 2015 on the firearms charges.

The new direct indictment against the pair was sworn in B.C. Supreme Court on Jan. 6. Both are due to appear at the Vancouver Law Courts on Feb. 22. 

Houghton said police don’t have details about who allegedly hired the Hamilton men or whether they have gang affiliations.

Ferguson has no prior criminal convictions, though he was also charged while in custody last March with carrying or threatening to use a weapon. He’s due in Port Coquitlam Provincial Court on that count in May.

McCall’s record includes convictions for robbery, break and enter and other property-related offences.

Houghton said investigators continue to work on both cases.

“Charges against other individuals are anticipated in the coming months and an update will be provided when new charges are laid,” he said.

Ryan could not be reached for comment.

Related

• Gangster Gurmit Singh Dhak executed Saturday while parked in Metrotown shopping centre parking lot

Up until last fall, he was a member of the Ottawa-based Ontario Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels.

But that chapter was disbanded in September 2016 just weeks after hosting a national gathering of hundreds of bikers.

Ryan is also linked to the Wolf Pack gang coalition in B.C., which is made up of some Hells Angels and some members of both the Independent Soldiers and Red Scorpions.

He often posts Wolf Pack imagery on his social media accounts.  

Last year, Ryan was arrested in Vancouver for breaching bail conditions related to charges he was facing in Ontario. He later pleaded guilty to some of the charges – two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one of possession of stolen property – as well as the breach. He was sentenced to three months in jail.

Ryan faced dozens of firearms charges in B.C. that were thrown out in 2012 after his lawyer successfully argued that the RCMP violated his Charter rights when an emergency response team forcibly entered his Burnaby basement suite after shots were fired outside.

He and nine others were wounded in a gangland shooting at an Oak Street restaurant on Dec. 12, 2010.  Vancouver police said at the time the attack was in retaliation for the assassination of gangster Gurmit Singh Dhak in Burnaby two months earlier.

Ryan was sentenced to five years in 2005 in connection with a violent home invasion involving a marijuana-growing operation. 

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.

There have been  two Metro Vancouver murders so far this year – both of them in Richmond.

Homicide investigators were called to a business park on Viking Way near Cambie Road about 6:30 a.m. Monday where they found a dead man and a suspect. No charges have been laid yet.

Here’s my story:

B.C.’s anti-gang squad announced late Friday afternoon that two Ontario men had been charged after allegedly coming to Metro Vancouver as hired hitmen. They didn’t identify who the men were suspected of targeting.

I managed to get one of those names Monday by getting a copy of the indictment in the case. I was surprised to learn that one of the Ontario men allegedly made an attempt to kill Hells Angel Damion Ryan in Richmond on April 10, 2015. The identify of the other target of the purported murder plot is unknown, the indictment says,

Here’s my story:

ABBOTSFORD — Notorious killer Kelly Ellard says she sees “the world with different eyes” since becoming a mother about two months ago.

She told two parole board members at a hearing Wednesday that her baby has completely changed her outlook, making her feel more confident and giving her hope for the future.

That new outlook won’t help her bid for limited release from prison — the board members deadlocked on whether to allow Ellard to temporarily leave prison to take her baby into the community.

Earlier, Ellard wept when she talked about the infant, whom she described only as her child.

Postmedia has learned the baby is a boy. He is living with Ellard at the Fraser Valley Institution where she’s serving a life sentence for murdering Reena Virk almost 20 years ago.

“I can’t even talk about this baby without crying,” Ellard said, breaking down and wiping her eyes. ‘’It’s been very therapeutic so far, very calming … It’s very motivating for me. It’s the best therapy for me.”

Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder for brutally beating and drowning Virk under a Victoria bridge when both were just teens.

Parole Board spokesman Patrick Storey, pictured Wednesday, says a new two-member board panel will hear Kelly Ellard’s request for escorted temporary absences from jail in a few weeks.

Ellard had requested the board grant her up to five escorted temporary absences from prison each month, so she could take the baby to medical appointments and socialize him in the community.

But after grilling Ellard for two hours, board members Kim Polowek and Catherine Dawson said they couldn’t reach a decision.

Parole Board spokesman Patrick Storey said afterwards it was rare for board members to be deadlocked. He said a new panel with two new members will hear Ellard’s case again within a few weeks.

Ellard, now 34, said the joys of motherhood were unexpected.

Polowek told Ellard she had concerns about her relationship with the baby’s father, a criminal who had his parole revoked last August.

He wasn’t named at the hearing, but Postmedia earlier confirmed his identity as Darwin Dorozan.

Ellard said her “partner” had been doing well on parole, working two jobs, staying away from drugs and inspiring her to live better.

She said she doesn’t know all the details about why he was sent back to prison because they now have limited contact.

“What happened was very disappointing to me,” Ellard said. “I don’t have the level of confidence I once had.”

Reena Virk was 14 years old when she was killed in November 1997.

Ellard spent the first part of the hearing recalling the night that she and other teens first attacked and then killed Virk under the Craigflower Bridge in November 1997.

She admitted she threw the first punch that night and later rolled a bloodied and unconscious Virk towards the water, where she drowned.

“I had lit the lighter by her face. She didn’t look the way she did when she was walking away,” Ellard said, adding there was blood in Virk’s eyes. “Her hair was stuck to her face. It was something you don’t forget.”

She denied the version of events presented in court by her co-accused Warren Glowatski, who said Ellard held Virk’s head under the water.

“I asked Warren to help me bring her to the water and splash water on her face,” Ellard said Wednesday.

She said she wanted to see if Virk would “wake up.”

Asked about her thoughts that night, Ellard said she was fearful of getting caught and going to jail when she realized how seriously Virk was hurt.

“I had kind of gone on autopilot at that point,” she said.

She cried when she described the pain she caused Virk’s family.

“It’s obviously devastating. What can I say? … I don’t think sorry is good enough. I mean their life is completely ruined,” she said. “I feel terribly guilty and ashamed and I wish there was something I could do to make it better.”

Related

• Boyfriend of pregnant killer a 'person of interest' in drug dealer disappearance
• Kelly Ellard's lawyer says pregnant killer thinking about her victim's family

No one from either Virk’s or Ellard’s families attended the hearing, which was held in a room with children’s toys at the back and butterflies all over the walls.

Ellard, dressed in a grey sweater and pants, wore her hair in a pony tail and had small hoop earrings.

Her lawyer Sarah Rauch, who had tried to exclude reporters from the hearing, said the temporary absences were necessary for Ellard’s “successful reintegration” into the community.

“The timing right now is perfect for Ms. Ellard to get escorted temporary absences,” she said.

“She has been inside since she was a child.”

Last May, another parole board panel denied Ellard day parole, but accepted that she was finally taking responsibility for killing Virk.

Postmedia News revealed in October that Ellard was eight months pregnant after being allowed conjugal visits with Dorozan despite his lengthy criminal history.

Ellard had three trials before she was finally convicted in 2005. She was first found guilty in 2000, but the B.C. Court of Appeal ordered a new trial. The second time around the jury couldn’t reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. 

Though she was 15 when she killed Virk, Ellard was raised to adult court and was sentenced to life with no hope of parole for seven years.

Last May, the Parole Board of Canada denied Ellard day parole, saying that while she was finally admitting some responsibility for Virk’s death, there was “ongoing minimization” of her crime.

And the two board members told Ellard that they were concerned about her admitted drug use inside prison, as well as “your lack of insight into why you committed the murder and your sense of entitlement with respect to parole.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

Blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

Twitter.com/kbolan

Related

• Boyfriend of pregnant killer a 'person of interest' in drug dealer disappearance
• Kelly Ellard's lawyer says pregnant killer thinking about her victim's family

CLICK HERE to report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.

I earlier reported on the bid by Hells Angels David Giles, Bryan Oldham and their associates Shawn Womacks and James Howard to have their convictions related to a cocaine conspiracy stayed due to trial delays.

My colleague Keith Fraser reported on the ruling Thursday by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross. She dismissed the application.

Here’s his story:

I was out in Abbotsford at a parole board hearing for convicted killer and new mother Kelly Ellard, so wasn’t able to be at the Giles and friends’ case.

I do hope to cover their sentencing hearings when they get underway later this month. Howard’s hearing starts Jan. 24.  Giles is scheduled for March 2 and 3. Oldham’s is set for March 9 and Womacks’ sentencing will take place March 20.

Two parole board members were tasked with deciding Wednesday whether or not convicted killer Kelly Ellard should be allowed to have up to five escorted temporary absences a month to take her new baby into the community for doctors’ appointment and “socialization.” The Correctional Service of Canada officer at the Abbotsford hearing recommended Ellard be granted the ETAs, which last up to four hours, for a period of 90 days.

But after more than two hours of asking Ellard questions about her murder of teen Reena Virk in 1997 and about the insight she now has into the crime, Kim Polowek and Catherine Dawson were deadlocked. 

They couldn’t decide whether the controversial killer should be given these community visits. So two other parole board members will do it all again in a couple of weeks.

I broke the story in October about Ellard being pregnant after having conjugal visits with her federal parolee boyfriend Darwin Dorozan. He’s since had his parole revoked.

But that was the first time I had ever seen Ellard in person. She expressed remorse and cried as she described the brutal murder of Virk. She also cried when she described how having a new baby had changed her life for the better. 

Here’s my story:

Killer Kelly Ellard’s ‘best therapy’ being a new mom as parole board splits on temporary leave bid

ABBOTSFORD — Notorious killer Kelly Ellard says she sees “the world with different eyes” since becoming a mother about two months ago.

She told two parole board members at a hearing Wednesday that her baby has completely changed her outlook, making her feel more confident and giving her hope for the future.

That new outlook won’t help her bid for limited release from prison — the board members deadlocked on whether to allow Ellard to temporarily leave prison to take her baby into the community.

Earlier, Ellard wept when she talked about the infant, whom she described only as her child.

Postmedia has learned the baby is a boy. He is living with Ellard at the Fraser Valley Institution where she’s serving a life sentence for murdering Reena Virk almost 20 years ago.

“I can’t even talk about this baby without crying,” Ellard said, breaking down and wiping her eyes. ‘’It’s been very therapeutic so far, very calming … It’s very motivating for me. It’s the best therapy for me.”

Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder for brutally beating and drowning Virk under a Victoria bridge when both were just teens.

Ellard had requested the board grant her up to five escorted temporary absences from prison each month, so she could take the baby to medical appointments and socialize him in the community.

But after grilling Ellard for two hours, board members Kim Polowek and Catherine Dawson said they couldn’t reach a decision.

Parole Board spokesman Patrick Storey said afterwards it was rare for board members to be deadlocked. He said a new panel with two new members will hear Ellard’s case again within a few weeks. 

Parole Board spokesman Patrick Storey, pictured Wednesday, says a new two-member board panel will hear Kelly Ellard’s request for escorted temporary absences from jail in a few weeks.

Ellard, now 34, said the joys of motherhood were unexpected.

Polowek told Ellard she had concerns about her relationship with the baby’s father, a criminal who had his parole revoked last August.

He wasn’t named at the hearing, but Postmedia earlier confirmed his identity as Darwin Dorozan.

Ellard said her “partner” had been doing well on parole, working two jobs, staying away from drugs and inspiring her to live better.

She said she doesn’t know all the details about why he was sent back to prison because they now have limited contact.

“What happened was very disappointing to me,” Ellard said. “I don’t have the level of confidence I once had.”

Ellard spent the first part of the hearing recalling the night that she and other teens first attacked and then killed Virk under the Craigflower Bridge in November 1997.

She admitted she threw the first punch that night and later rolled a bloodied and unconscious Virk towards the water, where she drowned.

“I had lit the lighter by her face. She didn’t look the way she did when she was walking away,” Ellard said, adding there was blood in Virk’s eyes. “Her hair was stuck to her face. It was something you don’t forget.”

She denied the version of events presented in court by her co-accused Warren Glowatski, who said Ellard held Virk’s head under the water.

“I asked Warren to help me bring her to the water and splash water on her face,” Ellard said Wednesday.

She said she wanted to see if Virk would “wake up.”

Asked about her thoughts that night, Ellard said she was fearful of getting caught and going to jail when she realized how seriously Virk was hurt.

“I had kind of gone on autopilot at that point,” she said.

She cried when she described the pain she caused Virk’s family.  

Reena Virk was 14 years old when she was killed in November 1997.

“It’s obviously devastating. What can I say? … I don’t think sorry is good enough. I mean their life is completely ruined,” she said. “I feel terribly guilty and ashamed and I wish there was something I could do to make it better.”

No one from either Virk’s or Ellard’s families attended the hearing, which was held in a room with children’s toys at the back and butterflies all over the walls.

Ellard, dressed in a grey sweater and pants, wore her hair in a pony tail and had small hoop earrings.

Her lawyer Sarah Rauch, who had tried to exclude reporters from the hearing, said the temporary absences were necessary for Ellard’s “successful reintegration” into the community.

“The timing right now is perfect for Ms. Ellard to get escorted temporary absences,” she said.

“She has been inside since she was a child.”

Last May, another parole board panel denied Ellard day parole, but accepted that she was finally taking responsibility for killing Virk.

Postmedia News revealed in October that Ellard was eight months pregnant after being allowed conjugal visits with Dorozan despite his lengthy criminal history.

Ellard had three trials before she was finally convicted in 2005. She was first found guilty in 2000, but the B.C. Court of Appeal ordered a new trial. The second time around the jury couldn’t reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. 

Though she was 15 when she killed Virk, Ellard was raised to adult court and was sentenced to life with no hope of parole for seven years.

Last May, the Parole Board of Canada denied Ellard day parole, saying that while she was finally admitting some responsibility for Virk’s death, there was “ongoing minimization” of her crime.

And the two board members told Ellard that they were concerned about her admitted drug use inside prison, as well as “your lack of insight into why you committed the murder and your sense of entitlement with respect to parole.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

Blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

Twitter.com/kbolan

 A high-ranking member of the United Nations gang has been deported to his native Iraq after finishing his sentence for plotting to kill the Bacon brothers.

Postmedia has learned that Barzan Tilli-Choli, who came to Canada as a teenager in 1999, was transported to Iraq on Tuesday by officers with the Canada Border Services Agency.

On Monday, he left Kent prison in the Fraser Valley, where he was serving his term after pleading guilty in July 2013 to conspiracy to commit murder.

His deportation was not a surprise.

Two years ago, Immigration and Refugee Board member Marc Tessler told Tilli-Choli he had no choice but to order the gangster’s removal from Canada because of his serious conviction and the fact he was not a Canadian citizen.

Then last August, two Parole Board of Canada members concluded that there was no need to keep Tilli-Choli incarcerated beyond his statutory release date this month because he was going to be deported to Iraq.

They were provided with a psychologist’s report from July that said Tilli-Choli was “a low risk of re-offending if you are to be removed to your home country, although your risk would be significantly higher if you were to remain in Canada.”

Tilli-Choli also provided the parole board with support letters from relatives in Iraq.

Barzan Tilli-Choli in undated jail photo

He and several others in the UN gang admitted they were involved in “human safaris” targeting their Red Scorpion rivals over several months in 2008 and 2009.

He was sentenced to 14 years minus almost nine years as double credit for the 4½ years he spent in pre-trial custody, for a net term of five years and three months.

Tilli-Choli was later identified in a related prosecution as the shooter who blasted an AK-47 at Jonathan Barber in Burnaby in May 2008, killing the stereo installer who had been mistaken for one of the Bacons.

When Tilli-Choli was arrested in March 2009, he had photos of the Bacons on his iPhone. He was also captured on wiretaps attempting to get a gun for an attack on a limousine the Bacons were in following a January 2009 concert in downtown Vancouver.

“The Pigs gangsters are here, man,” Tilli-Choli said in the recording. He also said that whoever was in the limo “is gonna get” shot.

A month later, Tilli-Choli and others shot up the vehicle of another Bacon associate outside T-Barz strip club in Surrey.

Tilli-Choli was born in the Kurdistan province of Iraq and came to Canada as a 17-year-old.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said Tilli-Choli is just one of several gangsters living in B.C. who have recently been deported because of serious criminality.

“We have seen several people and families come to Canada in the past and they make the choice to involve themselves in gangs, organized crime, and violent lifestyles,” Houghton said. “These choices not only lead to tragic ends for many of those involved, but can also lead to those people being removed from Canada.”

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Another Metro Vancouver gangster has been deported to a country that he left as a youth. Barzan Tilli-Choli, of the UN Gang, was sent to Iraq this week after finishing his sentence for plotting to kill the Bacons. He was 17 when he came to Canada in 1999. Last year, both gang associates Jimi Sandhu and Adam Lam were ordered deported. Sandhu was just seven when he came to Canada. Lam was just a toddler. 

I hope young guys thinking of choosing this path who aren’t Canadian citizens realize the potential consequences go far beyond jail.

Here’s my story:

 A high-ranking member of the United Nations gang has been deported to his native Iraq after finishing his sentence for plotting to kill the Bacon brothers.

Postmedia has learned that Barzan Tilli-Choli, who came to Canada as a teenager in 1999, was transported to Iraq on Tuesday by officers with the Canada Border Services Agency.

On Monday, he left Kent prison in the Fraser Valley, where he was serving his term after pleading guilty in July 2013 to conspiracy to commit murder.

His deportation was not a surprise.

Two years ago, Immigration and Refugee Board member Marc Tessler told Tilli-Choli he had no choice but to order the gangster’s removal from Canada because of his serious conviction and the fact he was not a Canadian citizen.

Then last August, two Parole Board of Canada members concluded that there was no need to keep Tilli-Choli incarcerated beyond his statutory release date this month because he was going to be deported to Iraq.

They were provided with a psychologist’s report from July that said Tilli-Choli was “a low risk of re-offending if you are to be removed to your home country, although your risk would be significantly higher if you were to remain in Canada.”

Tilli-Choli also provided the parole board with support letters from relatives in Iraq. 

Barzan Tilli-Choli in undated jail photo

He was sentenced to 14 years minus almost nine years as double credit for the 4½ years he spent in pre-trial custody, for a net term of five years and three months.

Tilli-Choli was later identified in a related prosecution as the shooter who blasted an AK-47 at Jonathan Barber in Burnaby in May 2008, killing the stereo installer who had been mistaken for one of the Bacons.

When Tilli-Choli was arrested in March 2009, he had photos of the Bacons on his iPhone. He was also captured on wiretaps attempting to get a gun for an attack on a limousine the Bacons were in following a January 2009 concert in downtown Vancouver.

“The Pigs gangsters are here, man,” Tilli-Choli said in the recording. He also said that whoever was in the limo “is gonna get” shot.

A month later, Tilli-Choli and others shot up the vehicle of another Bacon associate outside T-Barz strip club in Surrey.

Tilli-Choli was born in the Kurdistan province of Iraq and came to Canada as a 17-year-old.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said Tilli-Choli is just one of several gangsters living in B.C. who have recently been deported because of serious criminality.

“We have seen several people and families come to Canada in the past and they make the choice to involve themselves in gangs, organized crime, and violent lifestyles,” Houghton said. “These choices not only lead to tragic ends for many of those involved, but can also lead to those people being removed from Canada.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

A Hells Angels associate convicted last fall in a massive cocaine conspiracy should spend 15 years in prison, federal prosecutor Chris Greenwood said Tuesday.

Greenwood told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross that James Howard played a “very significant” role in the plot to smuggle half a tonne of cocaine into Canada in 2012.

What Howard didn’t know was that the purported South American coke brokers negotiating with his gang were actually undercover cops who orchestrated a reverse sting over months.

The police received a $4-million down payment, then delivered a kilo of real cocaine and 199 kilos of fake product to a Burnaby warehouse on Aug. 25, 2012 as Howard and his co-accused were arrested.

On Sept. 30, Ross convicted Howard of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Also convicted were full-patch Hells Angels David Giles and Bryan Oldham and associate Shawn Womacks, who will be sentenced in March.

Greenwood said Howard was part of “the upper echelon of the drug trade” and a conspiracy to buy 500 kilos of cocaine “intended to be the first in a series of transactions.”

“I don’t suggest that Mr. Howard is the mastermind of this sophisticated organization, but I do say that his profession is in the business of trafficking drugs,” Greenwood said.

“He was a partner in the trafficking scheme. He was responsible for transportation, for supervising employees he described as his crew and he had an ownership interest in the product and the profits that were going to be achieved.”

Howard got involved in the plot in May 2012, months after Giles and Kevin Van Kalkeren, who earlier pleaded guilty, unwittingly met the undercover cops who would be their undoing.

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Greenwood said a stiff sentence would provide appropriate deterrence and denunciation given the scale of the cocaine operation in the case

“The damage done to the community by large-scale trafficking in my submission is profound,” Greenwood said.

“The proliferation of cocaine and other hard drugs affects communities across Canada. And I would submit with respect that your ladyship doesn’t have to go far from this courtroom to see some of those problems.”

Greenwood said Howard had been involved in the drug trade for six years before the 2012 sting, but had no convictions.

At one point, “he told the undercover police officers that he was passionate about what he was doing, reflecting his level of commitment,” Greenwood said.

Howard travelled to Los Angeles after meeting the cops “to set up a structure to transport cocaine” when the plan was to pick up the drugs there.

He attended meetings with his co-conspirators, communicated in encrypted messages, assembled the team to process the cocaine, paid for their radios and provided BlackBerrys for his workers, Greenwood said.

Howard was in charge of distributing the cocaine and planned to sell it in Alberta.

He was so worried about security that he made sure not all his crew members had details of the deal “so they didn’t have to worry about anyone ratting.”

Greenwood said Howard clearly could have been successful if he’d chosen a legitimate path in life.

“You are dealing with a mature individual who possessed life skills and who was aware of the illegality and the risks involved but was committed to a course of illegal action over many weeks and that is the context in which the moral responsibility for this offence arises,” he said.

Ross adjourned Howard’s sentencing hearing to March 1.

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twitter.com/kbolan

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The sentencing process finally began Tuesday for those convicted last September in the cocaine conspiracy case involving Kelowna Hells Angels and some of their associates. We know that Kevin Van Kalkeren, one of the masterminds of the plot, pleaded guilty last year and got sentenced to 16 years.

Crown prosecutor Chris Greenwood said today that James Howard, who as an investor with key responsibilities in the plot, should get a 15 year sentence. He’s been out of jail since shortly after his arrest in 2012, so he had no (or very little) pretrial credit earned.

His lawyer will make defence submissions on March 1.

Here’s my story:

Crown wants 15 year sentence for Hells Angel associate in B.C. cocaine conspiracy

A Hells Angels associate convicted last fall in a massive cocaine conspiracy should spend 15 years in prison, federal prosecutor Chris Greenwood said Tuesday.

Greenwood told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross that James Howard played a “very significant” role in the plot to smuggle half a tonne of cocaine into Canada in 2012.

What Howard didn’t know was that the purported South American coke brokers negotiating with his gang were actually undercover cops who orchestrated a reverse sting over months.

The police received a $4-million down payment, then delivered a kilo of real cocaine and 199 kilos of fake product to a Burnaby warehouse on Aug. 25, 2012 as Howard and his co-accused were arrested.

On Sept. 30, Ross convicted Howard of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Also convicted were full-patch Hells Angels David Giles and Bryan Oldham and associate Shawn Womacks, who will be sentenced in March.

Greenwood said Howard was part of “the upper echelon of the drug trade” and a conspiracy to buy 500 kilos of cocaine “intended to be the first in a series of transactions.”

“I don’t suggest that Mr. Howard is the mastermind of this sophisticated organization, but I do say that his profession is in the business of trafficking drugs,” Greenwood said.

“He was a partner in the trafficking scheme. He was responsible for transportation, for supervising employees he described as his crew and he had an ownership interest in the product and the profits that were going to be achieved.”

Howard got involved in the plot in May 2012, months after Giles and Kevin Van Kalkeren, who earlier pleaded guilty, unwittingly met the undercover cops who would be their undoing.

Greenwood said a stiff sentence would provide appropriate deterrence and denunciation given the scale of the cocaine operation in the case

“The damage done to the community by large-scale trafficking in my submission is profound,” Greenwood said.

“The proliferation of cocaine and other hard drugs affects communities across Canada. And I would submit with respect that your ladyship doesn’t have to go far from this courtroom to see some of those problems.”

Greenwood said Howard had been involved in the drug trade for six years before the 2012 sting, but had no convictions.

At one point, “he told the undercover police officers that he was passionate about what he was doing, reflecting his level of commitment,” Greenwood said.

Howard travelled to Los Angeles after meeting the cops “to set up a structure to transport cocaine” when the plan was to pick up the drugs there.

He attended meetings with his co-conspirators, communicated in encrypted messages, assembled the team to process the cocaine, paid for their radios and provided BlackBerrys for his workers, Greenwood said.

Howard was in charge of distributing the cocaine and planned to sell it in Alberta.

He was so worried about security that he made sure not all his crew members had details of the deal “so they didn’t have to worry about anyone ratting.”

Greenwood said Howard clearly could have been successful if he’d chosen a legitimate path in life.

“You are dealing with a mature individual who possessed life skills and who was aware of the illegality and the risks involved but was committed to a course of illegal action over many weeks and that is the context in which the moral responsibility for this offence arises,” he said.

Ross adjourned Howard’s sentencing hearing to March 1.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

Abbotsford Police are investigating a shooting Tuesday evening that left two men with injuries.

Sgt. Judy Bird said in a news release that police got called about 6:20 p.m. about possible shots fired in the area of Countess Avenue and South Fraser Way.

A few minutes later, they got more calls about a two-vehicle collision at Peardonville Road and Clearborook Road.

Two men believed to have been shot and then involved in the crash were driven to hospital by a citizen who stopped to help.

“Both males remain in hospital where they are receiving treatment for their injuries,” Bird said.

 Two people in the vehicle that was struck received minor injuries and one remains in hospital for observation, she said.

 The Major Crime Unit of the Abbotsford Police Department is investigating.

The shooting comes less than 24 hours after a young man was killed in a targeted shooting in Surrey.

Karanpartap Waraich, 22, was hit as he drove in the 12900-block of 96 Avenue and crashed his vehicle into the golden arches of a McDonalds.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is now investigating.

“Mr. Waraich is known to police and evidence to this point suggests this was a targeted homicide,” S. Sgt. Jennifer Pound said. “There are many more investigative avenues that IHIT needs to concentrate on and we are looking to speak with any witnesses who may not have already come forward to police.  Thankfully, there were no other victims as a result of this brazen shooting.”

It’s been a violent couple of weeks with other shootings in Surrey, Abbotsford and south Vancouver.

Police agencies across the Lower Mainland are sharing intelligence after a rash of suspected gang and drug-related shootings and murders in January.

There have been at least 10 shootings in the region, with seven victims so far in 2017, according to data compiled from police news releases.

On Tuesday, Abbotsford Police responded to a targeted double shooting that left two gang-linked men with serious injuries. And the night before in Surrey, 22-year-old Karanpartap Waraich died after he was shot while driving down 96th Avenue.

Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Waraich’s death was targeted and that he’s known to police. 

“It’s too soon to speculate the exact reason for the homicide, but any links between his past, up to the time of his death, will form a part of our investigation,” she said Wednesday.

Abbotsford investigators are looking for a mid-2000s dark-coloured Ford Explorer in connection with their latest shooting — the city’s third this year, Sgt. Judy Bird said.

Bird said the violence and conflicts are not confined to a single city or area in the region.

“We are working with other agencies within our own province, as well as other provinces, to try to come together and share the information we have, as well as intelligence we have, to start making connections if we can,” Bird said Wednesday. “We are trying to see if we can somehow prevent further violence from occurring.”

Police gather evidence at the scene of the fatal shooting of Karanpartap Waraich in Surrey on Monday. Shane MacKichan photo

“The violence involved in these incidents is abhorrent and exceptionally concerning for us and the citizens we protect,” Bird said.

“The concern is you can’t put one specific finger on where they are. We have almost every police agency in the Lower Mainland, if not in British Columbia and past British Columbia to Alberta, having to respond to these violent incidents.”

Some of the local shootings are believed to be linked to the double-murder of Navdeep Sidhu and Harman Mangat in Edmonton on Jan. 11. Both were Metro Vancouver gang associates involved in the drug trade.

Edmonton Police media officer Patrycia Thenu said Wednesday that she had no additional information to release about the case.

Sources told Postmedia that several Lower Mainland gangsters have relocated to Alberta in recent months for security reasons and to expand their drug lines.

Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, said it’s inaccurate to call recent gunplay “a new conflict.”

“As I’ve said many times, there is always conflict and tension between groups and individuals. While some of the names have changed, the conflicts between individuals, groups, etc. ebb and flow. We’ve seen that many times in the last 20 years,” Houghton said.

“From our perspective, it’s far too early to say whether there may be any connections and that would be up to the investigative agencies.”

Vancouver Police officers are investigating two 2017 shootings. On Jan. 8, a 54-year-old man was wounded at house on West 58th Avenue, near Cartier Street, just before midnight. No one was injured in a Jan. 19 shooting at a house near Knight and East 54th Avenue.

“We liaise with outside agencies each time we have a serious incident here in Vancouver to determine if there are possible links to other offences,” Const. Jason Doucette said.

There have been three shootings in Surrey in 2017, including Monday’s fatality. In Richmond, another young man facing trafficking charges was shot to death Jan. 10. 

Bird said that despite the violence, a local citizen jumped in to help the victims of Tuesday’s shooting in Abbotsford.

“The two men approached him saying ‘we need help’ and the first reaction was for him to help and take them for medical attention since medical attention wasn’t there yet,” Bird said. “As much as this is a horrific incident and very scary for our citizens … for the most part people that live in our communities are really good people who just really want to help.”

Lower Mainland murders/shootings in 2017:

Jan. 24: Two men were wounded in a targeted shooting at about 6:20 p.m. in the area of Countess Avenue and South Fraser Way in Abbotsford. They drove off only to crash into a second vehicle at Peardonville Road and Clearbrook Road minutes later. A Good Samaritan took the shooting victims to hospital. Police are looking for a dark Ford Explorer from the mid-2010s.

Jan. 23: Karanpartap Waraich, 22, was shot to death about 9:15 p.m. as he drove in the 12900-block 96th Avenue in Surrey. He crashed his vehicle into the Golden Arches of a McDonald’s restaurant.

Jan. 20: Surrey RCMP responded to reports of a shooting at 10:10 p.m., in the 8000-block 120th Street. Officers located shell casings in the area. The initial investigation has revealed that shots were fired at an unoccupied vehicle in the area but no one was injured.

Jan. 19: Shots were fired just after 3 a.m. at a residence in the area of Knight Street and East 54th Avenue in Vancouver. No one injured or arrested.

Jan. 17: A man was shot in the leg outside 2539 Janzen St. in Abbotsford. The incident is believed to be related to ongoing Townline Hill gang conflict.

Jan. 16: Richmond RCMP was called about a possible homicide on Viking Way. They arrive to find 43-year old Richmond resident Martin Shen dead inside his office. A suspect was located and arrested. Now charged with second-degree murder is De Kai Liang, 55. Police believe a personal dispute led to the slaying. Neither the victim nor the suspect were known to police.

Jan. 10: Vancouver resident Calvin Chi Hang Zhao was found shot to death in the 7000-block Ash Street in Richmond. No one has been charged.

Jan. 10: Mission RCMP responded to a call about a shooting and abduction just after 1 p.m. in the 30000-block Dewdney Trunk Road. They found a woman with a gunshot wound and learned that another woman was being held against her will. They rescued the second woman and arrested two men in Coquitlam hours later. Charges have been laid.

Jan. 9,: About 5:30 a.m., Abbotsford Police were called to reported shots fired at a residence in the 2900-block of Flagman Place. No one was injured.

Jan. 8: A 54-year-old man was injured in a targeted shooting at a home on West 58 Avenue, near Cartier Street in Vancouver. 

Jan. 6: Surrey RCMP got calls about shots fired between two vehicles near 121a Street and 75th Avenue. The two vehicles fled the scene before officers arriving.

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan 

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ABBOTSFORD — When killer Kelly Ellard takes her baby to the prison playground they have a view across a field and through barbed wire to Matsqui Institution, where the tyke’s father lives.

Ellard is serving her life sentence in the minimum-security annex of the Fraser Valley Institution, where she is part of a special Federal program for incarcerated moms and their babies.

Ellard got pregnant last year after being allowed conjugal visits with her criminal boyfriend Darwin Dorozan, who’s since been sent back to jail for violating his parole conditions.

Convicted killer Kelly Ellard and her boyfriend, Darwin Dorozan.

On Thursday, Correctional Service Canada allowed journalists to tour the facility where Ellard and her new son live with 19 other inmates.

It’s up the road from the main prison building where last week Ellard told parole board members that she sees “the world with different eyes” since becoming a mother about two months ago.

“It’s very motivating for me. It’s the best therapy for me,” Ellard said as she applied for escorted temporary leaves to take her baby into the community.

The two board members were split on her application, which will now be heard at a later date.

A children’s play structure is seen outside the mother-child common room of the Annex at the Fraser Valley Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017.

Ellard and other inmates were out of site during the media tour of the two-year old annex.

Warden Sav Bains guided journalists through a common living room with a baby swing, car seat, colourful quilts, an alphabet mat and toys scattered around.

Citing privacy issues, Bains would not confirm whether Ellard was the only mother in the facility with a baby. Correctional service has confirmed there are 10 children living with their mothers in prisons across the country.

“The mother and child would do some activities together including having the child play, watching TV, play various games, what any other mother and child would do,” Bains said.

A large kitchen with three fridges and two ovens is fully equipped to allow inmates to cook for themselves. Knives hanging from two magnetized strips on the wall are counted daily by staff, Bains said.

A mother-child kitchen facility is pictured in the Annex of the Fraser Valley Institution in Abbotsford, B.C., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017.

A narrow corridor leads to private dorm-like rooms, including some complete with baby furniture.

Bains opened the door to one of the rooms, containing a bassinet, a white crib, a change table, packages of diapers and storage for baby books and clothes. Little owls dangled from the crib mobile. Stickers of elephants, giraffes and other animals brightened the beige walls.

The babies’ rooms connect to that of their mothers by an internal doorway, Bains said.

The program started nationally in 1997 and here in the Fraser Valley in 2004, when this prison opened.

Bains said mothers applying for the program are carefully screened. No one convicted of sex offences with children would be allowed to participate, he said.

Once accepted into the program, the moms “would typically take care of their children including activities of playing with them, feeding them, like any other community setting,” Bains said.

“In addition to that, they are required to do programs – vocational as well as correctional programs – and when they do need to attend, we have designated babysitters.”

Related

• Killer Kelly Ellard’s ‘best therapy’ being a new mom as parole board splits on temporary leave bid
• Notorious B.C. killer Kelly Ellard gets pregnant while serving life sentence for murder

Those are other inmates who are also carefully screened, he said.

“The mother-child program is obviously based upon building a positive relationship between the mother and child,” Bains said.

Social workers from the B.C. government are involved in assessing each inmate who applies and continuing to monitor the welfare of their children, who can live inside prison full-time up to age five and part-time until they’re seven.

“Our front line staff are available 24 hours a day that would be monitoring the welfare of the child,” Bains said. 

“We are seeing benefits from the program and the participation of the mother in bonding with the children and obviously we want that to continue as part of their reintegration.”

kbolan@postmedia.com

blog: vancouversun.com/tag/real-scoop

twitter.com/kbolan

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