Kidnapper walks out of court a free man after sentencing hearing

EDMONTON A man who admitted to unlawfully confining a prominent Edmonton businessman during a 2013 abduction was sentenced on Friday to 15 months in jail, equal to time served.

David Chipere, 46, spent 10 months in custody before entering his guilty plea in October for participating in the kidnapping of Alexander Davidoff, 66.

After the court accepted a joint submission on sentencing from Crown prosecutor Kevin Mark and defence lawyer Steve Fix, Chipere was free to go at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.

According to an agreed statement of facts entered with the court Friday, Davidoff was alone in his office at the Glenora Skyline condo development project at 10220 140 St. on July 21, 2013. He was waiting to meet with a potential client, who had contacted him by email and text.

Instead, he was taken from his office, placed in the back of a Buick Rendezvous SUV and driven to the Sherwood Park home of Amtul Khalon.

Khalon drove the SUV and her passengers included her son Raheel Khalon, Chipere and an unknown third male.

At the house, Davidoff was confined to a basement bathroom. After his family reporting him missing, police investigators were led to the home, where they found Chipere standing in front of the bathroom door and arrested him.

In the bathroom, police found Davidoff, who had been beaten, with duct tape around his neck.

According to the agreed statement of facts, Chipere claimed he never spoke to or struck Davidoff.

The Khalons were arrested earlier at a different location. Police pulled over their vehicle after Raheel Khalon became a person of interest in the investigation.

The 31-year-old was found guilty of kidnapping following a trial earlier this year and is scheduled to be sentenced in 2018.

His mother, Amtul Khalon, is also accused in the crime, but has fled to Pakistan and is wanted on an outstanding warrant.

The third man involved in the crime wasn’t identified in the agreed statement of facts during Chipere’s hearing, nor during Raheel Khalon’s trial.