Special prosecutor appointed in Vancouver courthouse assault case

The BC Prosecution Service has appointed a special prosecutor in the case of two women assaulted near the provincial courthouse in Vancouver earlier this month.

One of the victims of the apparently random assaults on Feb. 2 is a Crown counsel, meaning she is an employee of the BCPS.

"The appointment of a special prosecutor was made to avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice given that one of the alleged victims is employed as Crown counsel," the BCPS said in a statement Tuesday.

Special prosecutor Chris Johnson is tasked with providing legal advice to Vancouver Police Department investigators as necessary, conducting charge assessment and assuming conduct of the prosecution, according to the BCPS.

Kenyon Thomas Lavallee, 27, has been charged with one count of assault and one count of assault causing bodily harm in the case. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday on the matter.

In the wake of the assaults, the British Columbia Crown Counsel Association, which represents the province's roughly 450 Crown prosecutors, called for the province to look into relocating the Vancouver courthouse.

The building at 222 Main St. is a block away from Hastings Street in the heart of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple said last week that the assaults had left the association "reeling" and "shaken."

He said the prosecutor was being escorted by a security guard – which lawyers making their way to the Vancouver courthouse often are – but the attack still wasn’t prevented. The prosecutor was hospitalized after the attack.

“This is where people come to see their justice system, this is where people come to observe sentencings, this is where young people come to learn about their justice system,” Dalrymple said at the time.

“That engagement is so critical to the proper functioning of the criminal justice system,” he added. “What makes it work is that people within the system feel safe, that courthouses are in safe locations.”

Premier David Eby has said his government is not looking into relocating the Vancouver courthouse, but that discussions about safety there are ongoing.

"I'm certainly very concerned about this assault on a Crown prosecutor, and the safety of every person that uses that courthouse as well as more broadly in the neighbourhood," Eby said last week.

“We will continue to do the work we’ve been doing to ensure the safety of all court participants.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Nesbit