Life in Canada

VANCOUVER — The riots that swept across London and other British cities this week already have resulted in more than 1,700 arrests, with some rioters already convicted and serving jail time of 4 years

But two months after the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver, not a single rioter has been charged, despite dozens of people who turned themselves in and confessed after photos and videos were posted on the Internet.

The quick justice being meted out in London stems from a different system of justice, said Rob Gordon, a former British police officer who now is director of the criminology school at B.C.’s Simon Fraser University.

London police have the power to lay charges, he said, while in B.C., police have to recommend charges to the Crown, which then reviews the evidence and must decide whether a charge is in the public interest and if there is a substantial likelihood of conviction.

“It’s a much swifter justice process,” Gordon said of the London riot convictions coming days after the incident occurred.

He also pointed out that there is a sense of urgency in London because of continuing rioting in other cities in England. Five people were killed in the four nights of rioting that rocked the country.

Sentences have been swift and tough in England — one boy reportedly caught with a case of bottled water looted from a supermarket was given a six-month jail sentence.

Gordon said he can understand why people here in Canada are curious that no charges have been laid for any of the incidents of setting police cars on fire, smashing windows and looting stores that so appalled average citizens.

“It isn’t very speedy,” he said of our system of justice.

Vancouver police declined to comment Friday on the differences between the two justice systems, referring a Vancouver Sun reporter to its detailed July 20 news release, which said 37 people had turned themselves in, including seven females, and 111 people had been identified as suspects.

The news release said the 50-person integrated riot investigation team was reviewing thousands of images of rioters captured by cellphones, plus police said earlier there are another 1,500 hours of video.

Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie said Friday that four Vancouver prosecutors are continuing to work with police to make sure all the available evidence is looked at before laying charges.

“There’s a massive amount of information,” he explained, adding the Crown and police don’t want someone charged, only to find later that the person was involved in another riot incident.

“We both want to be in a position to be satisfied we have all the available evidence with respect to a suspect,” MacKenzie said. “It can be potentially disadvantageous to the Crown proceeding to court with only partial information.”

The Crown did receive eight files from Vancouver police recommending charges days after the riot. But those files were sent back to police for additional information that was required, MacKenzie said.

So far, only two people have been charged for an assault that took place during the riot which erupted in downtown Vancouver after the hometown Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins on June 15.

Edgar Ricardo Garcia, 20, has been charged with aggravated assault and will next appear in court Aug. 19; Joshua Lyle Evans, 27, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon and will appear in court Sept. 27.

After Evans was charged, his lawyer, Matthew Nathanson suggested that Evans disarmed a man with a knife who had stabbed Evans’ friend, so Evans should not have been charged.

Police looked into the lawyer’s complaint and have since passed along new information to the Crown, which still is under review, MacKenzie said