Gun allegations at B.C. trial put court security back in the spotlight

Security at British Columbia’s courts is back in the spotlight, amid allegations someone brought a gun into the courtroom for the verdict in a high-profile murder case.

The father of the young teen girl murdered by Ibrahim Ali was arrested and released by Vancouver police, amid allegations the weapon was brought into the coutroom on Friday.

That incident came fewer than two weeks after a judge handed down a 12-year sentence in another shocking case of courtroom violence.

That incident saw Catharine Shen try and kill a rival with a hammer and fish knife during a bitter civil dispute being adjudicated at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver — the same building where Ali was tried.

2:27 Sentencing continues for woman who stabbed foe inside Vancouver courtroom

Evidence presented in her trial showed Shen was able to bring the weapons into the courtroom without her bag ever being checked.

It’s a stark contrast with the situation at the busy Vancouver Provincial Court and Surrey Provincial Court buildings, where everyone who enters undergoes a bag check and metal detector screening.

Lawyer Ravi Hira, KC, said Canada is fortunate to have seen just a handful of instances of violence targeting the legal profession.

Despite the lack of standardized security screening at the Vancouver Law Courts, he said he feels safe under the security provided by sheriffs at the facility.

But he stressed that maintaining that security is critical.

“Lawyers and judges are the cornerstone of our democracy. We are the only people that hold premiers, prime ministers and particularly attorney generals to account,” he said.

“Without us you have tyranny. If you cannot protect us and the press, you do not have a democracy.”

0:41 Father of teen victim in Ibrahim Ali trial allegedly arrested and released

In 2022, the B.C. General Employees Union, which represents sheriffs, told Global News it had been fighting for more than 15 years to have mandatory security screening at B.C. courts.

The union declined to comment on the matter Tuesday.

Attorney General Niki Sharma wouldn’t commit to implementing mandatory screening for courthouses.

“We work with an independent judiciary, so all of our decisions about courtrooms are made together, we have a good relationship with chief justices and and chief judges and the regional directors, and so we always are working with them to figure out what safety concerns they have,” she said.

“And also protecting the need to make sure people see it as a public space that’s welcoming and opened.”

Sharma, too, pointed to sheriffs as the key to court security, adding the province was actively recruiting to increase the force’s size.

Across the province, there are 28 B.C. Supreme Court locations and 42 staffed provincial courthouses.

Just four of those facilities have full-time controlled access points with search gates at the main entrances.