The father of a West Vancouver man stabbed to death by his friend says he is still hopeful his son’s killer will serve two-thirds of his sentence behind bars.
Ron Goos, father of Josh Goos, said he doesn’t think the National Parole Board will release Sasan Ansari early, based on what he heard at Ansari’s recent parole hearing. "They’re very aware of who he is," said Goos.
Ansari, who was convicted of killing Josh Goos by stabbing him more than 30 times in the parking lot of the Hollyburn Country Club in 2006, is appealing a decision by the National Parole Board to deny him early parole.
Ansari has filed an appeal with both the parole board and with the Federal Court, requesting a judicial review of the parole board’s decision on Aug. 13 to turn down his requests for both full parole and day parole.
Ansari was convicted of manslaughter in December 2008 and handed a five-year jail sentence in the killing of his former high school friend outside the West Vancouver country club.
The two men had fallen out over a $90,000 loan Goos had made to Ansari and wanted him to repay.
Some of the violent attack was captured on video surveillance cameras at the club. Afterwards, Ansari phoned his brother four times, and disposed of the murder weapon and his clothing.
During the trial, Ansari admitted he had killed Goos but relied on a defence of automatism, saying he had no memory of the actual stabbing or of what happened after.
The B.C. Court of Appeal later rejected a Crown appeal to increase Ansari’s sentence to eight years.
Ansari became eligible to apply for day parole in February of this year and to apply for full parole on Aug. 5. But following a hearing in August, the parole board turned him down, on the grounds he could still pose some risk to reoffend.
Goos’ parents attended the parole hearing, as did Ansari’s family. Ron Goos said nothing he heard at the hearing changed his mind about Ansari. "I just want to see him show some sign of remorse for what he did and I don’t see it," he said.
In its decision, the parole board considered details of the killing, as well as several psychological reports. Institutional staff spoke highly of Ansari’s intelligence and his behaviour as a model prisoner who is respectful with staff, has tutored other inmates, does yoga and has been granted private family visits with his fiancé. The board also noted Ansari has been offered a job at a law firm and wants to return to law school at UBC upon his release.
The board in its reasons also considered information not previously heard in court, including his detention as a suspect for assault with a weapon in Vancouver in 2002 and for allegedly soliciting a teenaged boy for sexual purposes in the U.S. in 2003 — offences for which Ansari was never charged or convicted. The board also considered Ansari’s response to this information.
In reaching its conclusion, the board voiced concern that Ansari has not yet completed a program for violent offenders, saying comments from program facilitators would provide an objective evaluation of his ability to address risk factors for violence. It also noted a report completed in February of this year by a prison psychologist who said Ansari "(lacks) victim empathy" and still presents a "low to moderate risk for future violence, especially gratuitous violence."
The board denied Ansari parole, saying in the interests of public safety, he needs to complete rehabilitation programs before being let out of jail.
In his appeal, Ansari has asked the federal court to give him a new hearing before a new parole board panel, saying the board was biased against him, had failed to "accept the findings of the court" about whether Ansari presented an "undue risk to reoffend" and that prison officials had refused to allow Ansari into the violent offender program the parole board later deemed necessary for early release.
Ansari’s lawyer, John Conroy, said Ansari has also filed a complaint about the prison psychologist who conducted the February assessment.
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