National

IHIT officer testifies to executing DNA warrant of man accused in B.C. murder trial

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Oct, 2023 04:31 PM

A Mountie with British Columbia's integrated homicide team testified she was the officer who served a warrant to obtain DNA from the man accused of killing a 13-year-old girl in a Metro Vancouver park six years ago.

Sgt-Maj. Heather Lew told a B.C. Supreme Court murder trial that she collected a few drops of blood from Ibrahim Ali's finger on Sept. 9, 2018, two days after his arrest and almost 14 months after the girl's body was found.

Ali has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of the teen.

The body of the girl, who can't be named because of a publication ban, was found in Burnaby Central Park early on July 19, 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing.

Crown witness and RCMP forensic biologist Christine Crossman testified last month that police obtained a DNA sample from Ali from a discarded cigarette in August 2018 and matched it to an unknown male's genetic material found on the girl's body.

The match led police to obtain a warrant to formally get a sample from Ali, which Crossman said also matched DNA from the girl's body.

Lew also told the court under direct examination Wednesday that she was a corporal on the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team when the girl was found dead and she attended the crime scene in the park the day the body was found.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Police incident in North Van shuts down Highway 1 yesterday, to deal with man's erratic behaviour

North Vancouver R-C-M-P say they were alerted to a man "causing public alarm" Monday morning on the Mosquito Creek trail under an overpass, and officers had to confront his "aggressive" and threatening behaviour.

Police incident in North Van shuts down Highway 1 yesterday, to deal with man's erratic behaviour

B.C. creates anti-racism data committee, releases research priorities

The British Columbia government has released 12 priorities for anti-racism research in its first update since the Anti-Racism Data Act came into effect last June. The province says the focus will be in areas such as racial diversity within the public service, interactions with the justice system and how health care and education differs for various demographic groups.

B.C. creates anti-racism data committee, releases research priorities

New Democrat MP says she is target of foreign interference by China

Kwan said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service spent an hour with her on Friday laying out the intelligence it possesses that she has been targeted by China since before the 2019 federal election over her advocacy for human rights in Hong Kong and for the Uyghur Muslim minority in China.

New Democrat MP says she is target of foreign interference by China

15 year old charged for Surrey robberies

R-C-M-P in Surrey have charged a 15-year-old with a handful of street robberies. Police say they responded to three separate robbery reports on April 24th where bear spray was used to help the suspect steal cellphones and headphones.

15 year old charged for Surrey robberies

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found

Police have said she was 20 years old when she was last seen early in the morning of May 28, 2011. She had been at a party celebrating a friend's birthday at Hogsback Lake outside Vanderhoof, in central B.C.

B.C. police say remains of Madison Scott, last seen in 2011, have been found

Province's minimum wage going up on June 1

B-C's minimum wage will jump by one-dollar-and-10-cents per hour before the end of this week. The boost to the general minimum wage will increase it to 16-dollars-and-75-cents per hour on June 1st -- up from the current rate of 15-dollars-and-65-cents.