'We love her. We miss her': Brother of slain Burnaby teen speaks out

Nearly six and a half years after his 13-year-old sister was found dead in Burnaby’s Central Park, a B.C. man is speaking out, remembering the teen girl and bashing the lawyers defending the man convicted of killing her.

Ibrahim Ali was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in B.C. Supreme Court Friday.

Crown prosecutors argued Ali sexually assaulted and strangled the girl to death in July of 2017.

Neither the girl or any of her family members can be identified due to a publication ban.

“If she is listening now, I want to tell her that we love her; we miss her,” the brother told members of the media outside the Vancouver courthouse Tuesday.

“Nothing will ever fill the void that she left when she was so brutally and suddenly torn from us.”

“But we hope she can find a modicum of peace now, knowing that we caught the monster that did this, and found him guilty for his heinous crimes,” he said.

The brother also expressed some harsh feelings towards Ali’s defence team.

“We resent and despise the defence for the way that they have chosen to act, all of which that was funded by taxpayer money,” he said.

“We will be filing formal complaints through the proper channels to see them disbarred.”

FATHER BARRED FROM ENTERING COURT 

Days after the conviction, sources say the victim's father is barred from entering the Vancouver courthouse where the trial took place.

CTV News has also learned the grieving parent is under a court order prohibiting him from having contact with Ali's defence lawyers, Kevin McCullough and Ben Lynskey.

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Police Department is investigating allegations that someone brought a loaded handgun into B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver on the day Ali was found guilty of first-degree murder.

Authorities would not confirm the identity of the suspect on Tuesday.

"One man has been arrested and was released pending further investigation," Sgt. Steve Addison said in an email.

Ali's lawyers have said they intended to appeal their client's conviction.

Prior to Friday's verdict, the defence attorneys revealed they had received threats during the course of the trial, including one that was under investigation by police.

The Law Society of B.C. issued a public statement Tuesday referencing recent reports of "serious threats being directed toward a lawyer who was defending a person convicted of first-degree murder."

"Lawyers have a duty to provide legal services to their client no matter who the client is or what they are alleged to have done. Criminal defence lawyers in particular may be called on to represent clients alleged to have committed horrific crimes," the LSBC wrote.

"All persons are entitled to the assistance of a lawyer to defend them and ensure their rights are represented and protected. Lawyers must not be identified with their clients or their clients' conduct as a result of doing their job."

The society added that the safety of lawyers "both inside and outside of court" should be taken "very seriously."

With files from The Canadian Press