Up front: Carols Afloat adds colour to local waves and lives page 5 Community: See who’s celebrating a brush with success page 14
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For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com
Friday, December 6, 2013
BLACK FRIDAY! Save the Taxes on All La-Z-Boy Furniture Storewide!* *See store for details. Financing on Approved Credit. GST & PST will be included in qualified purchase price. Offer ends December 9th, 2013.
Courtenay 2937 Kilpatrick Ave 250-871-6074 Victoria 3501 Saanich Road 250-382-5269 Nanaimo 3200 North Island Hwy 250-756-4114
No jail time for Pompeo
Our highway stretch among B.C.’s worst Crash rates: Snowy sprinkle adds to the statistics
Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
N
o wonder you think a lot of car accidents happen in
Two years probation: Former Duncan cop allowed to keep his gun and his job after shooting sentencing
Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
C
onst. David Pompeo is not going to jail. He’s also going to retain his firearm and remain a member of the RCMP following an exemption granted by Judge Josiah Wood that would have otherwise resulted in his dismissal from the force. Pompeo’s sentencing otherwise amounts to a two-year term of probation consisting of 240 hours of community work service to be completed during the first 18 months of the probationary period. More than four years after the incident, and nearly 10 months since his conviction for aggravated assault in the shooting of Bill Gillespie near Chemainus, Pompeo learned his fate Thursday before Judge Wood in Duncan Provincial Court. Before Judge Wood read a decision that took one hour and 20 minutes to deliver, he informed the packed courtroom about the answer to the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Constable, so you’re not sitting on pins and needles, you will not be going to jail,’’ Wood said. “Thank you, your honour,’’ responded Pompeo, who was supported in court by a huge presence of police officers and personnel. The circumstances of the case were reviewed in great detail by Wood, with particular attention paid to past decisions for some precedence. Pertaining
Andrew Leong
RCMP Const. David Pompeo leaves the Duncan courthouse in the wake of his sentencing in the 2009 driveway shooting of Bill Gillespie in Chemainus. to police officers, “cases of aggravated assault are difficult to find,’’ conceded Wood. In many ways, this case could be considered precedent-setting. Aggravated assault normally carries serious sentences of up to 14 years in jail. “The circumstances were quite different from other aggravated assaults,’’ said provincial Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie. “It’s difficult to assess the impact of the case going forward.’’ As for the long period from conviction to sentencing, “cases take varying amounts of time,’’ MacKenzie said. “This was obviously a case with complicated issues that had to be taken into account along the way.’’ The victim was clearly incensed with the decision. “I was hoping he would get some sort
of jail time and never, ever get his gun back,’’ Gilllespie told a scrum of local, regional and national reporters. When asked if he would be proceeding with a civil case against Pompeo, Gillespie responded: “You bet. “I hope what happened that night comes out more. What happened that night was ridiculous. You can’t go around doing that to people.’’ Gillespie’s mother, Catherine Pastula, said the contrary side to all the glowing comments made about Pompeo’s character has yet to be properly addressed. “They are obviously going to come out in the civil case that can’t come out in the criminal case.’’ Pompeo and co-defence counsel Sarah Conroy avoided the media after the decision and did not comment. Lead counsel Ravi Hira was not there.
In his reasons for judgement, Wood took into account the many references received attesting to Pompeo’s fine character, not only from the RCMP but the community. “Constable Pompeo’s experienced considerable remorse for having shot Mr. Gillespie. I have no doubt Mr. Pompeo’s remorse is genuine.’’ Wood felt there was no need to impose restorative justice on Pompeo with jail time, considering him unlikely to reoffend, with his impeccable previous record and a young family to support. Wood did express some consternation pertaining to the RCMP’s use-of-force training Pompeo said he followed by the book before firing a shot. more on page 3
Cowichan. The Island Highway between Victoria and Nanaimo has one of B.C.’s highest crash rates, a transport ministryICBC study shows. Five wrecks reported by police between Allenby Road and the Malahat’s peak during a sprinkling of snow yesterday morning only added to stats presented in the recently released Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review. Shawnigan Lake RCMP Sgt. Scott Stephen simply advised drivers to “slow it down” to stop them from becoming a fresh statistic. Still, the provincial review seeks citizen input until Jan. 24.Minister Todd Stone is hosting a twitter town-hall meeting starting at 7 p.m. on Dec. 12, which will complement a series of town hall meetings, the nearest Jan. 15 at Nanaimo’s Coast Bastion Hotel between 5 and 8 p.m. Vancouver Island is among seven B.C. safety zones studied in the report which points to the Malahat to Nanaimo as among drivers’ biggest safety risks. more on page 3 bchonda.com
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£$4,000 Honda cash purchase incentive is available on select 2013 Odyssey models. Honda cash purchase incentive will be deducted from the negotiated price before taxes and cannot be combined with special lease or finance offers. PPSA, license, insurance, taxes, and other dealer charges are extra and may be required at the time of purchase. †† For more information about the Auto123.com Van of the Year award visit http://www.auto123.com/en/awards/finalist-categories ††/£ Offers valid from July 3rd through 31st, 2013 at participating Honda retailers. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be necessary on certain vehicles. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
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#$1,500 cash purchase incentive available on select Fit models. Honda cash purchase incentive cannot be combined with special lease or finance offers. *$500 Holiday Bonus available on all 2013 Fit models. #/*Honda cash purchase incentive and Holiday bonus will be deducted from the negotiated price after taxes. **MSRP is $16,075 based on a new Fit DX GE8G2DEX including $1,495 freight and PDI. #/*/** Dealer may sell for less. Dealer trade may be required. For all offers license, insurance, applicable taxes and registration are extra. Prices and/or payments shown do not include representative PPSA lien registration and lien registering agent’s fees, which are due at time of delivery. Offers valid from December 3rd, 2013 through January 2nd, 2014, 2013 at participating Honda retailers. Offers valid only for British Columbia residents at BC Honda Dealers locations. Offers subject to change or cancellation without notice. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.bchonda.com or see your Honda retailer for full details.
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