Bear-spraying of B.C. boutique workers lands man 10 months in jail

A man who admitted his part in a terrifying bear-spray robbery in a downtown Vancouver boutique two years ago has been sentenced to 10 months in jail.

With credit for time served, Elliot Daryl Cassels will spend an additional 33 days behind bars for the September 2022 incident.

Cassels pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in what his lawyer described as a “very sad case.”

Crown prosecutors stayed a charge of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose after the 30-year-old entered his guilty plea.

The crime was captured on a security camera.

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In the video, a woman wearing a mask can be seen entering the store and browsing, before Cassels walks in and tries to grab a phone and payment system from the front counter.

When staff try to stop him, he sprays them with bear spray before fleeing with $950 worth of goods.

Cassels, who Crown said had eight separate bail hearings on this case because he was unable to attend court consistently when not in custody, was also sentenced to 18 months of probation once his jail term is up.

Court heard Cassels, who is Indigenous, was in foster care from age eight to 18 after his mother gave him up due to her drug use. He battles his own severe drug addiction.

His lawyer said he was high and desperate at the time of the robbery.

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“There was CCTV footage where police officers say they recognized him as Mr. Cassels, but those cases are always very difficult because people can be misidentified,” defence lawyer Leo Fumano said.

“In fact, Mr. Cassels had previously been misidentified in a case, and so it was certainly not a slam dunk conviction for the Crown, and so he certainly was given credit for taking responsibility despite the fact he may have been acquitted at trial.”

Provincial court Justice Patricia Stark told Cassels: “There’s help out there, I hope you take it. …

“If you don’t get a hold of your addiction, it’s just going to keep causing more and more difficulty for you and the community.”

Cassels’ co-accused, 24-year-old Jolesa Ascon-Ramos, has pleaded not guilty and opted to go to trial.