A former B.C. correctional officer who had a relationship with an inmate received a two-year conditional sentence on Wednesday (June 24) for supplying him with a cellphone.
Ramandeep Rai (previously Bassi), 31, of Abbotsford was sentenced in Port Coquitlam provincial court after previously pleading guilty to a charge of breach of trust by a public officer.
A second count of breach of trust was stayed.
Judge Diba Majzub said Rai’s offence was “very serious.”
“Her actions jeopardized the safety and morale of her colleagues, the well-being of inmates and the confidence of the public in the commitment of correctional authorities to faithfully carry out their duties, which include the protection of the community,” he said.
Majzub said Rai, who became a correctional officer in March 2021, was involved in a “secret romantic relationship” with an inmate at North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam for about a year, starting in September 2021.
She supplied the man with a cellphone – a prohibited device for inmates in the facility and considered contraband – and the two used it to communicate with one another.
The judge said the inmate also used the phone to contact “out-of-custody associates suspected to be involved in the drug trade,” although Rai had no knowledge of that.
Majzub said an internal investigation at the prison into an unrelated matter in August 2022 led to the discovery of recorded conversations of a romantic nature between Rai and the inmate.
The matter was referred to the RCMP about a month later, and Rai was placed on suspension and then resigned.
The judge said a forensic exam of a cellphone found in the television of another inmate’s cell, combined with the recorded conversations, demonstrated Rai and the inmate were in a relationship, she was aware of his cellphone use, and she assisted him in moving the phone around the prison.
Majzub said Rai reported during a psychiatric assessment that she had developed an emotional relationship with the inmate.
“She believed that a future relationship was possible, but she told him that a future relationship was contingent on him abandoning a criminal lifestyle. It appears she wanted to make him a better person. Ultimately, she realized that he cared only for the cellphone … and not for her,” the judge said.
Majzub quoted from a letter supplied by the Crown from the warden of North Fraser Pretrial Centre, who detailed the impact of Rai’s offence.
The judge said he agreed with the warden’s opinion that the concealment of a cellphone in a prison “poses serious threats to the safety and security of correctional staff, inmates and the community.”
“A concealed cellphone allows inmates to communicate with other inmates to coordinate acts of violence, including against correctional staff,” Majzub said.
“Furthermore, a concealed phone allows inmates to conduct criminal activity, including facilitating drug trafficking and other offences, and to interfere with the integrity of the justice system by threatening or intimidating witnesses.”
The Crown had recommended Rai serve two years in prison, while Rai’s lawyer suggested a conditional sentence served in the community would be more appropriate.
The judge agreed with the defence, saying Rai has no prior criminal record; pleaded guilty; has been in counselling; has strong support from her family, including her husband, whom she married in 2024; and “deeply and profoundly regrets her actions.”
“She sincerely acknowledged that this was not a minor infraction, that she put her colleagues at risk, that a phone can facilitate violence and criminal conduct within a correctional institution … and that she’s ashamed of her conduct, both for her family and in the eyes of the community,” Majzub said.
The judge said a conditional sentence would be more effective than incarceration to achieve the objectives of rehabilitation and reparations to the community.
Rai will be under a curfew of noon to 6 a.m. during the first six months of her sentence, 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the second six months, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the third six months and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the final portion.
The exception is if she has prior written approval from her supervisor for work or an emergency medical appointment.
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