HOW ESPIONAGE ENDED THE SABOTAGE
Mountain bikers use infrared cameras to catch a North Vancouver woman booby-trapping trails and help bring her to justice
For two years, avid hiker and retiree Tineke Kraal would leave her Upper Lynn Valley home and head into the inky darkness on Mount Fromme to set booby traps for the mountain bikers who would arrive later in the day.
She would start her hike at 4 a.m. and with her two Labrador retrievers by her side, was usually finished by 6 a.m., a packed North Vancouver provincial court heard Thursday as the frail 65-year-old was sentenced for her unrelenting pre-dawn campaign to rid the trails of mountain bikers.
Little did she know her trail sabotage was being monitored with infrared surveillance cameras by local mountain bikers Shaun Rivers and Gordon Berg.
Court was told that after Kraal was arrested and taken into custody by RCMP at the Quarry Court trailhead at 5 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2015, she admitted her routine had been going on for two years.
Kraal was charged with setting or placing a trap with intent, mischief to obstruct the enjoyment of property and mischief in endangering life.
The charges sparked an international outcry, and Kraal made a first appearance in court Feb. 4, 2015.
Following discussions between her lawyer Martin Peters and Crown prosecutor Mark Myhre, it was agreed she would enter a guilty plea to mischief rendering property dangerous, useless or inoperative.
On Thursday, Kraal was handed a suspended sentence and placed on three years’ probation. She will have to serve 150 hours of community service. She has also been banned from using designated public mountain bike trails.
The surveillance video by Berg and Rivers was critical in the initial charges, and before Judge John Milne handed down the sentence, the high quality tapes were shown in court.
In one tape, a log with a sharp branch sticking out like a spear is placed on the bottom of a steep descent. In other cases, logs are jammed against rocks and trees, making the trail impassable.
The two trails continually vandalized were the Quarry Court trail, which is a hiking-only trail, and Skull, which is a mountain bike primary trail.
Court heard Krall had been hiking in the woods near her home for 30 years and had a distaste for mountain bikers.
“She believed mountain bikers wrecked the trails,” Myhre told the court.
Court was told no one was seriously injured.
Myhre also praised the work of Berg and Rivers in the case.
“Both were concerned someone could be seriously injured,” he said.
“Since Jan. 4, (2015) there have been no reports of debris being placed on Skull,” which he noted is a mountain bike primary trail, built and maintained by mountain bikers.
“There was a hiking trail next to it, the Quarry Court trail. There was a real possibility of injury from her actions, it could easily have been catastrophic. She was aware someone could be seriously hurt.”
Myhre felt a jail sentence was necessary. “Doing something every day for two years, in my submission, is remarkable persistence,” he said.
Kraal’s lawyer said his client is remorseful and has been subject to public ridicule and threats since the arrest.
During the proceedings, the petite woman made a brief statement.
“I am really sorry,” she said. “I never wanted to hurt anybody. I did this not to hurt anybody. I am really sorry and will not do it again.”
Vince Beasse, president of the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA), said they expect bikers to respect others using the trails, and anyone with a concern should contact the association.
“If anyone has that level of frustration we would like them to reach out to us so we don’t get this type of situation ever again,” Beasse said.
“We are community-minded and if anyone has an issue, contact us.”
He feels better signage on Fromme has improved the experience for all trail users.
District Coun. Mathew Bond, a past president of the NSMBA, said he has noticed a change in attitude on Fromme since the arrest.
“Right after this happened, everyone was on their best behaviour,” he said. “Most people view this as an isolated case.”
Both Berg and Rivers spent a lot of time gathering the footage.
“During the investigation, over 34 days and nights, we probably removed upwards of 400 pieces of debris ... from the hiking and biking trails,” Berg said.
“They were usually placed in a manner with one end abutted against a tree branch or rock, diagonally placed so that if a mountain bike tire hit it, it would slide off and the rider would be ejected from the trail.”
Added Rivers: “The debris placement has seemingly ceased since the person was stopped.
“It just gives a little more of a feeling of safety and community on the mountain.”