Nicole Chan coroner's inquest now in the hands of the jury
Following a week and a half of testimony from 34 witnesses, the jury in the coroner's inquest into death of Vancouver police Const. Nicole Chan began deliberating Tuesday.
The panel of three women and two men was acutely engaged throughout the proceedings, often asking questions of the witnesses.
Presiding coroner Susan Barth has charged jury members with finding practical, achievable and reasonable recommendations to prevent other deaths.
Their job is not to find fault.
The inquest heard that Chan had accused Sgt. Dave Van Patten of coercing her into having sex with him, and that she was fearful and frustrated that her allegations wouldn’t be taken seriously.
“What the Chan family hopes is that everybody understands that Nicole tried her best,” said Chan family lawyer Gloria Ng.
“She just simply didn’t have the proper resources to help get her to that point where she got to see the full implications of her complaint and her allegations,” said Ng.
On Jan. 26, 2019, Chan's boyfriend was so concerned for her well-being that he took her to Vancouver General Hospital.
She was released hours later, went home, and took her own life.
The jury has an enormous amount of evidence to consider, including testimony from Chan's sister, who described her as a strong and compassionate woman.
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