A man convicted of murdering a Burnaby teen repeatedly said he did not kill her during a pre-sentence hearing as he refused to listen to an interpreter during an impact statement from the girl's father.
Ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing, parts of the recorded statement were played to test Ibrahim AliHe faces life in prison for the 2017 killing.
But Ali, appearing in British Columbia Supreme Court via video link, refused to pick up the phone to listen to an interpreter, leading to a lengthy argument with Justice Lance Bernard, who demanded an explanation from Ali.
Ali told Bernard in broken English that he would never listen to the girl's father, and said that he “did not kill” the girl's father and he was not in Burnaby's Central Park on the day the girl was killed.
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Ali's DNA matched semen found inside the girl, who cannot be named due to a publication ban.
Last December, at the end of an eight-month trial, it took the jury less than 24 hours to convict Ali of first-degree murder.
Under the verdict, the defendant will be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
During Thursday's hearing, Ali, wearing an orange sweatshirt and black gloves, paced or picked his teeth from time to time.
Before testing the father's video, the court discussed plans for Friday's sentencing hearing, and prosecutors summarized the post-release restrictions they will seek.
At this point, Ali interjected through an interpreter: “Now tell the judge, now tell the judge, I did not kill that girl, and I did not walk into that park.”
The judge then instructed the interpreter not to interject on Ali's behalf. Ali later reiterated this statement in an exchange with the judge.
Prosecutor Isobel Keeley told the court on Thursday that at least seven victim impact statements would be heard in court on Friday.
Ali will also have the opportunity to make a statement at the hearing. His attorney, Kevin McCullough, also appeared in court via video on Thursday and asked the judge if he could make a statement on his client's behalf if Ali agreed.
“I expect he’ll be around for a while,” McCullough told the judge.
Bernard said the decision should be made by McCullough and his clients.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 6, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
(Tag translation) Ibrahim Ali
উৎস লিঙ্ক
