Early a.

a
car fires

a a
suspicious
TWO CAR fires were report-
ed on the North Shore
Thursday morning.

At 3:24 am, North
Vancouver District Fire
Services responded to what
was described as an explosion
and fire at Hoskins Read and

Arbor Lynn.
When firemen arrived, a

‘car was fully in flames. Arson

is suspected.

Another car fire ‘wes
reported at 7:17 a.m. on the
same morning under the
Lions Gaie Bridge, said a
West Vancouver Fire
Department spokesman.

Police seek

hit and run
sports car

THE NORTH Vancouver
RCMP seek the public’s assis-
tance in focating a hit-and-run
driver whose sports car cotlid-
ed with a bus on March 5 at
West: Third Street and Mahon
Avenue.

Police deseribe the sports

‘ear. as @ green 1970s mode!

MG or Triumph.
The driver is described as

‘being a blond women with

shoulder-iength hair, accord-

‘ing to a North Vancouver

. RCMP spo kesman.

"Witnesses told police that

“the sports car failed to halt at

“8 stop sign and ait the side of
the bus at about 8am. |

The bus was travelling west .
‘on ‘Third Street ot the time.

The ‘driver, witnesses said,

“earried.:on’ motoring down

Mahon Avenue after the colli-
ston.

.. Police investigators believe
the impact of the collision
caused extensive damage to

the car, especiaily to the front

of the vehicle.

‘Anyone with information
about the collision is asked to
call North Vancouver RCMP
Const. Mark Brown at 985-

‘A341.

Board thief
sentenced

A 19-YEAR-OLD North
Vancouver man was recently
fined $500 for stealing a snow-
board.

Jeff Jacob Scrutton plead-
ed guilty to a theft charge
stemming from a Dec. 28,
1995, incident in. North
Vancouver District.

North Vancouver provin-
cial court Judge Bill Rodgers
ordered that Scrutton is not to
be found on Grouse, Cypress
or Seymour mountains during

‘12 months of prebation.

I

Scrutton was sentenced on

“March 6.

From page 4

abuses in the do-it-yourself wine-
making stores, but the attorney gen-
eral’s ministry brushed off the com-
plaints us anecdotal information.

“We were forced to take what we
considered fairly drastic steps,” said
Bell.

According to municipal business
licensing departments, North
Vancouver City has approximatciy
six U-Brew (do-it-yourself beer
stores) and U-Vin stores, West
Vancouver District has four and
North Vancouver District has five.

In the beer-industry-sponsored
covert investigation, no North Shore
U-Brews were targeted, according to
Bell.

In one U-Brew covert operation,
an under-age tcenager was said to
have been able to purchase beer at a
do-it-yourself beer store.

But the manager of Capilano
Brewmasters North Shore Ltd. said
the under-age liquor purchase
proves nothing. A 16-year-old can
buy liquor at a government liquor
store too.

“We have no problems with deal-
ing with people who are breaking
the law,” said Steve Hayes-Richards.

“But for that to be the basis of
taxing us is a joke,” said Hayes-
Richards.

Unlike the wine industry, do-it-
yourself beer stores have a relatively
small share of the market with com-
mercial beer companies dominating
sales.

Hayes-Richards said U-Brews
have lobbied the government. for
regulations. Hayes-Richards is con-
cerned that new government regula-
tions may be accompanied by exces-
sive taxes.

Hayes-Richards said hops and
malts used for the beer are not taxed

because it is a food product. The customer pays taxes on

the equipment used.

A liquor tax is not levied because a finished alcohol

product is not being sold.

Capilano Brewmasters has been in business for three

years,

“The appeal is that the customers can make a good
quality beer they've made themselves which is compara-
ble to anything they can buy,” said Hayes-Richards.

He said the cost of making 50 litres (12 dozen cases)
is about half the price of store-bought beer.

Hayes-Richards said U-Brews are taking about 1% of
the big commercial breweries’ market. —

Precedent in sentence

THE SENTENCE imposed ona
West Vancouver snan convicted
of manslaughter in the death of
his elderly live-in. mother is
expected to set a national prece-
dent:

By Brent Mudry |.
Contributing Writer

During sentencing procedures on
Thursday, Crown: prosecutor Joe
Bellows told B.C. Supreme Court
Justice Walter Oppal that he and
defence lawyer Michael Solton have
been unable to find any similar cases
involving elder abuse by a grown child.

McCune, 65, was convicted on
Feb. 13 of kiiling his 83-year-old
mother Barbara at her home in West
Vancouver on Jan. 29, 1993.

It took a jury less than a day to
convict McCune of the lesser charge
of manslaughter instead of second-
degree murder.

The cause of Barbara McCune’s
death was determined to be lacera-
tions to the liver. Bellows contended
the injury was caused by someone
stomping on the victim.

A defence pathologist rejected the
scenario, pointing out that none of the
victim's rios were broken.

The jury heard evidence that
Michael McCune, an eccentric, kept
stacks of newspapers and other pos-
sessions in the halls of the house, pos-
ing a serious hazard as he navigated

NEWS photo Mike Wakefleid

CAPILANO BREWMASTERS customer Diane Keral gives her
beer batch 2 stir beside store manager Steve Hayes-Richards.

Meanwhile, North Vancouver U-Brew customer

Steve Scully has deen making his own suds for five

makes.

years. Scully says he prefers the taste of beers that he

“The beer companies are just mad because they are

losing their monopoly,” said Scully.

beer.

and taken away.

Elder abuse a
growing issue
for Canadians

his incontinent mother on frequent
trips to the washroom.

At trial, McCune testified that he
had slipped and fallen twice when he
was guiding his &4-pound (38 kg)
mother from behind, falling forward
with his full weight of 145 pounds
(66 kg) upon her.

The court was told that elder
abuse is emerging as a significant
problem in Canada, and society must
get the message that it should not be
tolerated. :

“The prime consideration is gen-
eral deterrence to some other adult,”
Bellows argued, calling for a federal
penitentiary term of two to four years
for McCune.

Dr. Elizabeth Pittiway, an expert
in the field of gerontology with the
University of Victoria, testified that
the study of elder abuse is a fairly
new field, but the preliminary results
are of concer.

“In my opinion it is a very serious
problem,” she told Justice Oppal.

The academic testified that a 1990
national study showed that 4% of the
elderly are abused across Canada,
with 5% abused in British Columbia.

Dr. Pittiway noted that selected
populations of elders reported much

U-Brew patrons spend about three hours making

Customers pick out a beer recipe, pay for ingredients .
and mix the beer themselves under supervision of store
employees. About two weeks later, the beer is bottled

U-Vin customers spend less time making wine.

higher levels of abuse. “Sons were
the most frequent abusers, followed
by husbands, then daughters.” she
testified.

Bellows told the court that in addi-
tion to physically and verbally abus-
ing his mother in the weeks leading
up to her death, McCune kept the
house they lived in as a shambles. “It
was absolutely deplorable and inex-
cusable,” the prosecutor said, noting
there is no evidence that Michael
McCune is mentally ill, just eccentric.

“No' woman of 83 years of age

would have wanted to live in the con-
ditions,” Bellows argued.
was piled wail to wall, sometimes to
the ceiling... the kitchen looks virtual-
ly unusable... there were only narrow
passageways in: the halls,” Bellows
Trecounted.

“She ate sitting on the toilet...
inches away from where the accused
washed her sviled diapers and their
dishes,” the prosecutor described.

Bellows noted that Barbara
McCune, infirm and in’ advanced
stages of dementia, depended on her
son as a one-year-old depends on his
mother.

He noted that McCune was virtu-

ally his mother’s only source of stim-

ulation.

The television was buried in junk.
She listened to the radio on occasion
and she had just one large-print book
accessible.

The sentencing decision was held

~ over until April HH.

1 /employees :

FOUR STORES
INVESTIGATED

THE WINE Industry of B.C.
recently conducted a covert
investigation of a few of the
many “U-Brew and U-Vin”
businesses in operation through-
out the Lower Mainland.

The scheme, dubbed Project
Chateau, saw a private investiga-
tor target: four stores, including
Wine Rack in North Vancouver.

In the case of the local store,
the investigator posed as a client.
seeking ‘an order of wine for an:
upcoming wedding,
te Said» investigator « John’ B.
Connolly in his report’ to the

_ wine industry ‘about . the four,
locations”. visited, «In |,.all

‘instances it appeared ‘that - ‘the.

proprietors, or “at least ~the”

_eitiployees, were aware certain

functions were. not permissible:
under, the: regulations, ie:sam=:
-Pling .. of the: product on: ‘the’

j ‘premises.

“In all establishments a satn-
ple of the product was consumed:
' while bottling was taking’ place,
“and in‘ fact the drinking vessel.
_ was provided by the employes.”
While: the ' = investigator

‘acknowledged that “somie of the}

“premises” visited. seemed. to be®
fun in a fairly efficient and -regu-_
‘lated manner” he said, ‘“I'feel the:

_U:Brew: establishments” as: ‘they,

“are now operated are not proper-
‘Ty! moniteré4: nor. controlled :to
erisure regulations are being fol

- lowed as legisiated.

| “Many ©: of" the: ‘proprietors:

lack -of concern’ for ‘regulations; °

‘and appeared ino! eager. to take! ;

the’ customer's: money than’ to’
ensure a: good ‘product: was the’
‘end result of their efforts hoe
“LT feel this is ‘contrary the’
spirit ia which U-Brews were set:
Up, to allow the common man to’

“brew. wine or beet’ for his and his. : . a

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