B.C. jury hears from police who found teen’s body in Ibrahim Ali murder trial

WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may disturb readers. Discretion is advised.

A jury heard Monday from one of the officers who located the body of a slain B.C. teen on the Vancouver-Burnaby border, in the second day of witness testimony in the trial of Ibrahim Ali.

Ali has pleaded not-guilty to first-degree murder in the 2017 killing. The victim’s name is covered by a publication ban.

Burnaby RCMP Staff Sgt. Stacey Rogers was among a group of officers scouring Burnaby’s Central Park on July 18. Police were following up on a cellphone ping as they searched for the teen, who had been reported missing earlier that day.

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Rogers told the court that a police dog’s handler was only in a wooded area of the park for seconds before he became extremely distraught, calling for an ambulance and screaming, “No, no, no!”

The jury then heard how Rogers approached to find the young girl lying on her back, facing the sky, extremely pale and with her pants unbuttoned.

Last week, the Crown laid out its theory that Ali attacked the girl on a trail in the park, then fatally strangled her during a sexual assault. The Crown has said it will present evidence showing she suffered injuries to her face, scalp, arms, and legs — and that Ali’s DNA was found inside the teen’s body.

During cross examination, Ali’s lawyer Kevin McCullough pressed Rogers about the presence of an unidentified man who was in the park as police conducted their search.

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The jury heard testimony last week from another officer who said the person told them he was part of a film crew.

McCullough questioned why no effort was made to identify witnesses or potential suspects in the park for hours, telling the court the quality of the police investigation itself was at stake.

Rogers told the jury police needed to secure the scene first and foremost before doing anything else.

Proceedings ended early Monday when defence counsel Ben Lynseky told the court Ali had developed a headache and could not tolerate it any longer.

With files from Rumina Daya