A Surrey teenager has already served his time, but three accomplices from Surrey, Coquitlam and Richmond are still set to be sentenced for their role in a violent nighttime home invasion and kidnapping of four people in East Vancouver on March 11, 2023.
Vancouver Police Constable Darren Wong noted the 17-year-old Surrey boy, whose identity is shielded by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty to lesser included crimes of forcible confinement and unlawfully being in a dwelling house. He was sentenced in youth court in 2024 and has completed his sentence.
Meantime, Douth Techen Garkouth, 21, of Surrey and Ramadhan Ibrahim-Hussein, 21, of Richmond pleaded guilty to kidnapping and Coquitlam resident Sijuola Obatusa, 23, was convicted on April 2 following a trial in B.C. Supreme Court. The three are set to appear in court on May 6 to set a sentencing date.
Wong said the Vancouver Police investigation spanned seven crime scenes. The victims had been taken from their home, driven out of Vancouver and were held hostage.
“The judge’s decision validates the long hours that our investigators spent collecting evidence to hold these suspects accountable,” Wong said. “More importantly, it brings a sense of justice to the victims who were hurt.”