Mother tells B.C. murder trial she regrets leaving daughter home alone
The mother of a 13-year-old girl killed six years ago told a British Columbia Supreme Court jury she regrets allowing the girl to stay home alone the day she went missing.
Ibrahim Ali has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of the teen, whose body was found in Burnaby's Central Park early on July 19, 2017, just hours after her mother reported her missing.
The Chinese mother said through an interpreter that had she known there were “bad guys” living nearby, she would have forced the girl to come with her to visit a friend's farm in Langley the previous afternoon.
The woman, who can't be named because of a publication ban protecting the identity of her daughter, previously testified that she made the girl lunch and invited her to go to the farm, but the teen decided to stay behind.
The mother told the court during cross-examination that she felt the girl had grown up and she respected her enough to stay home alone until she returned.
The girl's mother told the trial earlier that she and her daughter had an agreement that she would not go into Central Park after dark, but under cross-examination on Tuesday she said they did not discuss the promise on the day she died.
“I also very much regret that I did not cause her to go with me, so much so that I lost her,” the mother told the jury through the interpreter on Tuesday.
She said she did not remember checking her daughter's wallet for money on the day she died.
Crown attorney Isobel Keeley said in an opening statement in April that the court would hear evidence showing the murder was random, but DNA results would prove that Ali sexually assaulted the girl.
She said the evidence would show the girl was passing through the neighbourhood park when she was dragged off a pathway into the forest by Ali, sexually assaulted and strangled.
The defence has not yet told the jury its theory of events.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Israel presses forward on two fronts as fears of a wider war mount
Israel pressed forward on two fronts Wednesday, pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah and conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children.
B.C. man ordered to pay damages for defamatory Google review
A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.
Albertan first Canadian veteran to compete in Mrs. Universe pageant
In less than a year, an Alberta woman has gone from gracing the stage at her first pageant to competing at the Mrs. Universe pageant in South Korea. She's making history by becoming the first Canadian veteran to compete internationally.
Bloc leader says ultimatum stands after Liberals vote against motion seeking boost to seniors' benefits
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says his ultimatum to the government stands, after the Liberals voted against a motion seeking money to boost seniors' benefits on Wednesday.
Northern Ont. trial begins with shocking details about murder scene
The jury at the trial of a second-degree murder suspect in Sudbury on Wednesday heard graphic details of the crime scene discovered in a Kathleen Street apartment on Boxing Day 2020.
Cop in hospital after being shot in midtown Toronto; shooter in custody
Three suspects are now in custody, including the person who police say shot and injured an officer during a robbery investigation in midtown Toronto on Wednesday afternoon.
Japan airport shut after likely Second World War-era bomb explodes near runway, 87 flights cancelled
A regional airport in southwest Japan was closed on Wednesday after a U.S. bombshell, likely dropped during the Second World War to stem "kamikaze" attacks, exploded near its runway, causing nearly 90 flight cancellations.
Scientists discover large cold-water soft coral garden in Newfoundland
A project team from Newfoundland's Marine Institute has uncovered a nearly 10,000-square-metre cold-water soft coral garden, hidden just underneath the surface of the province's Funk Island Deep.
Canadian figure skater suspended at least 6 years for 'sexual maltreatment'
Canadian figure skater Nikolaj Sorensen has been suspended for at least six years for 'sexual maltreatment,' the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner announced Wednesday.