Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

RCMP officer says he forgot to record B.C. murder suspect's arrest after car crash

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Jul, 2023 02:24 PM
  • RCMP officer says he forgot to record B.C. murder suspect's arrest after car crash

The police officer who arrested a man accused of murdering a 13-year-old girl found dead in a Burnaby, B.C., park six years ago says no recording of the arrest exists because he forgot to switch on his recorder when a police car crashed into another vehicle at the scene. 

Burnaby RCMP Const. Jason Cutler told a B.C. Supreme Court jury that Ibrahim Ali was "co-operative and well behaved" when he was apprehended during the co-ordinated traffic stop on Sept. 7, 2018.

Cutler said he and Const. Bryce Sinclair were tasked by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team with arresting Ali.

He said a "safe traffic stop" was performed but another police car collided with a civilian car before the arrest, causing him to forget to start recording, although he had placed the recorder in his vest.

The body of the girl, who cannot be identified under the terms of a publication ban, was found in Burnaby's Central Park in July 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing.

In May, Ali pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

RCMP officers did not use body cameras or dash cameras at the time of the arrest, Cutler said.

Despite forgetting to record the arrest, Cutler said it went smoothly and Ali was taken to the cells at the Burnaby RCMP detachment. 

"Verbally and physically he was co-operative and well behaved," he told the jury Wednesday.

Ali, who was 28 at the time of his arrest, has been in pretrial custody ever since.

Crown attorney Isobel Keeley said in an opening statement that the court would hear evidence showing the murder was random, but DNA results would prove Ali sexually assaulted her.

She said the evidence would show the girl was passing through a neighbourhood park when she was dragged off a pathway into the forest by Ali, sexually assaulted and strangled.

The defence has not yet told the jury its theory of events.

MORE National ARTICLES

Chilliwack hosts vegan festival

Chilliwack hosts vegan festival
Normally known for its dairy and animal agriculture products, Chilliwack is hosting its first ever vegan food festival. The festival is hosted by local grocery store The Veganist for its one-year anniversary since opening, and co-founder Logan Bryan says vegan products have been welcomed by the majority of the community.

Chilliwack hosts vegan festival

Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters as wildfires increase: Trudeau

Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters as wildfires increase: Trudeau
Trudeau said extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent in the coming years due to climate change. When asked if Canada needs to augment its fleet water bombers that are used to fight fires, he said it's clear the country will need to increase resources at many levels.

Canada will continue to rely on foreign firefighters as wildfires increase: Trudeau

B.C. school district bans man who queried gender of girl, 9, at track meet

B.C. school district bans man who queried gender of girl, 9, at track meet
Kevin Kaardal, the superintendent of Central Okanagan Public Schools in Kelowna, B.C., says in a statement that staff at the regional track and field meet last week intervened and eventually moved the girl's event across the field.

B.C. school district bans man who queried gender of girl, 9, at track meet

Speeding car flees a traffic stop

Speeding car flees a traffic stop
West Shore R-C-M-P say on June 10, officers in Metchosin near Victoria stopped two cars, including one travelling at almost double the speed limit. The over-speeding car initially pulled over but then fled from the scene, striking an officer in the leg and resulting in minor injuries from which the officer is expected to recover.

Speeding car flees a traffic stop

Ban on open fires

Ban on open fires
The Surrey Fire Service says incidents of reported brush and grass fires have trended higher in recent years, with last year seeing more than 525 incidents between May and November.

Ban on open fires

3 arrested for catalytic converter theft: Delta Police

3 arrested for catalytic converter theft: Delta Police
Delta Police say they have arrested three suspects who stole multiple catalytic converters from vehicles in the city. Police say officers made the arrest on June 8 after observing the suspects stealing a catalytic converter.

3 arrested for catalytic converter theft: Delta Police