Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere
- Martin Luther King Jr.
How does a man accused of manslaughter in the mass murder of six people in Surrey get released on bail?
How does an alcoholic man who killed two women and injured seven when he drove his truck into a Maple Ridge sushi restaurant not only get released early from a psychiatric hospital – but be given back his driver’s license?
The answer is the same – because legal authorities said so. But justice was not done.
On Friday Surrey Provincial Court Judge Ellen Gordon allowed Sephon Sek to be released from jail on bail, over Crown prosecutor objections, despite facing man-slaughter charges in the October 19, 2007 murder of six people, including two innocent victims.
Sek is one of six men alleged connected to the Red Scorpions gang charged in the killings, including Jamie Bacon – who faces one count of first degree murder – and Dennis Karbovanec – who pleaded guilty and got a life sentence.
Also Friday, Brian Irving was released from Colony Farms Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, this time against a hospital psychiatrist’s recommendation, by the B.C. Review Board. Irving was found not criminally responsible for killing Maija-Liisa Corbett, 19, and 46-year-old Hyeshim Oh when he drove his pickup truck into Halu Sushi in Maple Ridge on Aug. 28, 2008.
Irving pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disorder – psychiatrists testified that delirium from alcohol withdrawal meant he didn’t know what he was doing.
And now Irving is free to drive again – because the Review Board placed no restrictions on his driver’s licence.
Steve Brown thinks all of this is insane. I think it’s criminal. Brown’s brother-in-law Ed Schellenberg was an innocent victim in the Surrey slayings, along with Chris Mohan.
“We just keep seeing these endless decisions in favour of the criminals,” Brown said. “Too few judges can balance the rights of the accused and the rights of society to public safety and justice.”
And Brown also blames the B.C. Liberals government for not taking action.
“The bigger issue is the complete and utter silence of this B.C. Liberal government on public safety. Where are they?” Brown asked.
“There’s so much contempt for law abiding citizens – from this government, from the judiciary and from the bad guys,” Brown said.
Brown fears that Sek – arrested one day after winning $364,364 in a poker championship – is a flight risk.
Sek posted $370,000 bail.
“The families of the Surrey Six – the victims – must be concerned about anything that jeopardizes justice,” Brown says.
Unfortunately justice is being jeopardized daily in this province – and it’s disgusting our government leaves it to the victims of crime to say so.
