Aiding slaughter nets 285 days
Man unaware of impending murders when he let killers in: Crown
A drug trafficker who helped the Surrey Six killers get into the apartment where the slaughter took place was handed less than a year in jail Friday.
Sophon Sek was facing a manslaughter charge, but that was dropped after a deal between his lawyer and the Crown in which he pleaded guilty to a single count of break and enter instead.
Crown prosecutor Catherine Murray told Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen that there was not enough evidence to support the manslaughter charge.
“Sek was not told of the plan to murder. He was told only that the (Red Scorpion gang) was going to rob Corey Lal,” Murray said. “As you can see from the facts, Sek’s role was limited but crucial.”
Cullen accepted the joint submission by Crown and defence for a one-year sentence, minus time served, for a net term of 285 days. But he condemned Sek’s actions. “He engaged in a deliberate criminal act which unleashed these dreadful consequences and he will have to live with that knowledge for the rest of his life,” he said.
Eileen Mohan, whose son Christopher was an uninvolved bystander killed in the slaughter, said afterwards she was upset by the light sentence.
“It is almost like such a cruel gift given to me,” Mohan said outside the Vancouver Law Courts.
“Had he not participated, the door of 1505 would have never opened and these executions would have never taken place. … He might not have pulled the trigger, but he is responsible.”
She said the same directly to Sek as she read out a victim impact statement at the hearing: “The murder of my son would not have occurred Mr. Sek had you not agreed to participate. … Your role was pivotal.”
Murray read excerpts from victim-impact statements provided earlier by relatives of the other victims — Corey Lal, his brother Michael, associates Eddie Narong and Ryan Bartolomeo, and bystander Ed Schellenberg.
The prosecutor said Sek was a friend of Red Scorpion gang leader Michael Le and also knew Corey Lal.
Sek was asked if he could help the Red Scorpions get into the building and he agreed to set up a fake meeting with Lal, Murray said.
Some time between 2:20 and 2:30 p.m., Sek met Surrey Six killers Cody Haevischer, Matt Johnston and a man identified only as Person X at the Balmoral Tower.
“Sek led the three R.S. members to the 15th floor where Sek knocked on the door of Lal’s ‘drug reload’ suite where the three R.S. members hid from view,” Murray said. “As soon as the door was open, the R.S. members rushed into the suite and Sek took off. He never entered the apartment. He learned later that six people were murdered.”
Murray said the year-long sentence was appropriate because Sek is serving six years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offences committed while he was out on bail. She said the break and enter term would be on top of the six years. “It would mean an effective sentence of seven years,” she said.
Defence lawyer Terry LaLiberte said Sek “had no knowledge in any way shape or form that innocent people were going to be involved. … He was totally shocked by what happened,” he said.
LaLiberte said Sek has been notified that because of his convictions he may face a deportation hearing as he has never become a Canadian citizen. “His life is in turmoil,” he said.