Ibrahim Ali requests to attend sentencing via video due to safety concerns

A man convicted of the first-degree murder of a 13-year-old girl is requesting to appear at his sentencing hearing by video due to concerns for his safety, his lawyer revealed in a B.C. Supreme Court hearing on Tuesday.

Kevin McCollough, representing Ibrahim Ali, expressed that having Ali attend in person would pose significant safety risks, citing previous incidents involving the victim’s father bringing a gun to court on the day of the guilty verdict last December. While no charges were laid, the father was issued a five-year weapons ban after two licensed guns were seized from his home.

McCollough emphasized the potential danger of Ali attending in person, stating, “If Mr. Ali is going to be present, I’m certainly not going to be (caught) in the gunfire. I’m not going to be present. There are material safety issues.”

The judge instructed the defence lawyer to halt his remarks, indicating that the matter of Ali’s sentencing appearance would be addressed at a later date.

The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was discovered in Burnaby’s Central Park in July 2017, leading to Ali’s arrest the following year. Following an eight-month trial, a jury swiftly reached a guilty verdict in December, subjecting Ali to a mandatory life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Prosecutor Isobel Keeley opposed Ali attending his sentencing remotely, noting that the Criminal Code typically requires an in-person appearance unless otherwise agreed upon by both the defence and Crown with court approval.

The sentencing hearing is anticipated to involve victim impact statements from the girl’s family members traveling from China, including a video statement from the father to be read in Mandarin with an English translation. Another hearing is scheduled for Friday to confirm sentencing dates.