Sentencing begins for hit-and-run killer of Emily Sheane
UN gang associate Ibrahim Ali pleaded guilty to 2 charges in fatal crash last March near BCIT
Nearly four dozen family and friends of hit-and-run victim Emily Sheane arrived at Vancouver Provincial Court for the sentencing hearing of United Nations gang associate Ibrahim Ali, forcing the judge to adjourn proceedings until a larger courtroom could be found to accommodate the crowd.
The 25-year-old woman was killed instantly when her older model Corolla was T-boned by a Range Rover speeding through a red light at a Burnaby intersection, near BCIT, on March 9, 2016 around 11:30 p.m. PT.
The driver of the SUV and his passenger fled the scene.
Ibrahim Ali was arrested days later at a motel near Creston, B.C. and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and leaving the scene of an accident where a death occurred.
Ali pleaded guilty to both charges on Oct. 14, 2016.
Victim Impact Statements
Highlights from a binder of victim impact statements were read in court by Crown counsel Jonas Dow, who has recommended a four to four-and-a-half year sentence and 10-year driving prohibition for Ali.
"Now, you walk into our house, there is sadness. You can feel it in every room. When they took her, they took part of our house. They left us incomplete," read Dow on behalf of Sheane's sister, Ally Sheane, who lives overseas.
"It brought a lot of anxiety coming here today and our family wants this over. We need to heal and we need to get through this," said another sister, Jenny Berger, outside the courthouse.
"It's hard when it has been over eight months, and we're still dealing with ripping off the band-aid each time this stuff keeps arising. We just want it over."
The night of the crash, Sheane was driving home from her job at Joe Fortes restaurant in Vancouver.
She had called her parents to say she was on her way.
When she didn't arrive on time, her father and her boyfriend went out to retrace her route and stumbled upon the accident scene only five minutes from the family's home.
Long criminal record
Ali sat in the prisoner's box in red prison-issue sweats and at one point asked his lawyer for a box of tissues.
Court was told the 26-year-old is the son of Kurdish parents who fled northern Iraq and evenutally arrived in Canada from Turkey in 1992.
His criminal record lists 20 convictions since 2007 on a range of charges including drugs, firearms, assault, break-and-enter and robbery.
At the time of the crash, Ali was on parole, in breach of a driving ban and in breach of a curfew.
Ali's lawyer has recommended a three year sentence and a five year driving prohibition.
The sentencing hearing has been adjourned until Dec. 21.