THE RCMP officer who allowed a man — identified as “dangerous and violent” — to buy a handgun testified on Nov. 18 at a coroner's inquest. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter David Henderson, 51, would use the handgun to kill North Vancouver ‘medical doctor Verne Flather on April 22, 1992. Coroner's counsel Robert Francis asked the officer who approved the handgun sale in July 1990 if, in retrospect, the right decision had been made. : “Based on the information, yes,” said Sgt. Peter Farnell. Henderson was found insane and there- fore not criminally responsible for Flather’s death. Psychiatric evidence at the murder trial indicated that Henderson suffers para- noid schizophrenia with a strong persecution complex. In 1989, Farnell was a corporal in charge of reviewing. Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) applications and permit- ting the registration of handguns at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment. Before Farnell’s testimony on the fourth day of the Burnaby inquest, RCMP firearms clerk Judy Depner took the stand. Depner recalled Henderson as gruff and “not overly friendly” when he came in to get approval to buy the handgun. “He mentioned something like that 1 was a woman and he didn’t want to deal with a woman,” said Depner. Henderson had stated he wanted the restricted weapon. for target practice and showed he had a Barnet Rifle Club member- ship which expired in 1991. When she ran a check of Henderson in a police database, she became alarmed at what she read. A cautionary note appeared that she had never seen before, or.has seen since, relating to someone wanting to buy a handgun. Entered under Henderson’s name was the ’ Henderson's message, “Caution armed and dangerous. Caution violence. Violent high risk police check.” On the following day, Depner’s supervi- sor, Farnell, told her to issue the approval for registering the handgun (legal possession of the weapon). Depner testified that she had asked for the approval in writing. On the stand, Farnell said he pulled the file which was connected to the caution entry. The caution was placed on the file by Const. Lawson Boutilier. The officer had interviewed Henderson at length concerning a handgun- pointing outside his apartment at 616 Lonsdale Ave. four months eur- lier. Boutilier testified at the inquest that he believed Henderson had the potential of “exploding or doing some- thing irrational.” “E felt this individual shouldn't. have weapons,” said Boutilier. “f pictured this guy as someone who would snap in a McDonaid’s or something like that,” he added. . Boutilier investigated the incident where Henderson reportedly pulled .357-magnum revolver with a chrome-plated handle at a Surrey man. The Surrey man came out to check ear which was for sale. Boutilier said a .357-magnum revolver with a nickel-plated handle was sitting out on the 66 / pictured this guy as someone neident who would snap in a McDonald’s or something like that, 99 - RCMP Const. Lawson Boutilier ‘Caution note removed, inquest hears arm of a chair in Henderson's fourth-floor apartment. A .303 rifle was laying out on the floor. Despite Boutilier's protest, then senior Crown Counsel for North Vancouver, Kerr Clarke, did not proceed with weapon charges. On the stand, Farnell said he pulled the gun-pointing file and described the contents as “Mr. Henderson was involved in an alter- cation with another man.” “It was one word against another. No shots fired, It was pointing only,” said Farnell, who also noted Henderson didn't have a criminal record, “y was concerned that the (cau- tion) entry on the CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) was not reflective of the situation... possibly over exaggerat- ed,” said Farnell. Francis asked if Farnell had used the word, “overkill.” Said Farnell, “Yes, I did use overkill. I thought it was perhaps a bit much.” Farnell said he briefly discussed the situ- ation with his supervisor Sgt. Daryl Dunn. Dunn was the officer who removed the warning from the police computer. Farnell said he did not talk to Boutilier about removing the caution or the decision to allow Henderson to obtain another hand- “gun. Flather family lawyer Henry Wood fired a series of questions in a jate afternoon volley Trustees consider back-to-basics approach THERE IS a need for choice in public. education,’ _ North Vancouver School District 44 (NVSD) trustees were told by " parents proposing a “back to basics,” alternative elementary school during Tuesday night’s public meeting. - conus n TRP EEENEET NORTH VANCOUVER SCHOOL BOARD By Kevin Gillies The “back to basics” school would operate within District 44 and be run by a council made up of parents and teachers. Parents Debra Kitson and Joanne Stephenson cited studies showing lower academic standards that accompany “Jearner-centred” instruction -— a prominent part of Education Ministry reform in the public system —- before proposing the alternative school, which would feature “teacher-centred” instruc- tion. The . parent-teacher council decide on how curriculum is deliv- ered and discretionary spending. The board accepted the proposal for further study and said it would respond by the end of January 1995. ‘Accompanying Stephenson and Kitson was W. Allan Gameau, a for- mer teacher and principal in Vancouver who now runs two inde- pendent schools one in f-! _ Vancouver and one in Nort? Delta — through his Traditional Learning Services. “It’s true that the system is work- ing for some people, but too many of our kids are missing out; leaving the system without being able to cope,” said Garneau, an educator for 25 years. But North Vancouver Teachers’ Association (NVTA) President Keith Denley said that North Vancouver students perennially score high marks in provincial examinations and questioned the need for change. The move to propose an alterna- tive school follows the much-publi- cized establishment of Surrey’s Traditional Model School, which opened in September. Parksville/Qualicum Traditional School has since been approved in principle, and 12 other districts in B.C. are developing or reviewing similar proposals. North Vancouver = Alternate School Committee (NVASC) mem- bers told the News they did not want to call it a “traditional” school because of the religious or cultural connotations attached to the word. Stephenson said the proposed alternative school is not an authori- tarian, back-to-basics classroom of the ’50s, nor is it an attack on cur- rent educators in the the district or schools, The parents would need help from the board in- structuring the school’s finances and securing a -location for it. ‘Trustee Barb McLellan ques- tioned whether enough students would move from one location to the new schooi to justify moving a teacher as well. If students moving into the new school were to come from many North Vancouver schools, then new teachers may have to be hired to staff the alternative school at a time when the budget is already spent. “Location is definitely a con- cern,” Stephenson said. : She claimed the proposed school would increase district revenue by attracting children to public educa- tion from independent and home schooling. According to the proposal, the North Vancouver Alternate School would: Bi emphasize “the foundations of learning” in phonics, reading, com- prehension, grammar, handwriting. mathematics, social studies, physi- cal sciences, the arts and physical education; @ emphasize single-grade classes, See Parents page 9 that at one point, made Farnell contradict his previous testimony and say that he had formed the opinion that the caution was unnecessary before he had talked to Dunn. Said Wood, “You checked a little and conclided this was overkill?... You were going to give him a means to have another handgun?... “What meaningful information would be useful for police on the road?.. I still don't understand why you didn’t contact Const. Boutilier?” Farnell said he felt that Dunn, the opera- tional manager, was the appropriate person to deal with. Farnell said that a caution would proba- bly be “good for officers” to know about. Another police database, PIRS (Police Information Retrieval System), contained information on Henderson that if probed, would have revealed officers’ comments that he was mentally unstable and that he was involved in an alleged domestic assault in December 1989 where charges weren't laid. RCMP lawyer George Carruthers pointed out that “mental instability’ could mean “anything,” such as characteristics displayed by an argumentative drunk. Farnell, a 24-year RCMP veteran, presently works at Vancouver RCMP head- quarters. He said he has not been on street patrol since 1975. Henderson’s first handgun was bought in January 1989. He bought the second hand- gun | 1/2 years later. His FAC was granted in April [988. Henderson also owned two rifles, Local police don’t need to approve the purchases of rifles: and shotguns unlike restricted weapons such as handguns and semi-automatic rifles. A coroner's inquest does not assign any blame relating to someone’s death. Flather's 8 daughter, Patti Flather. request- ed an inquiry or inquest earlier this year. She gave the coroner information about her father’s killer that was not revealed in the court case. NEWS photo Brad Ledricge NORTH VANCOUVER District 44 Trustee Rev. Roy Dungey grap-- ples with the traditional school concept at a school board meet-' ing held on Tuesday. Some locat parents are proposing a back * to-basics approach to elementary school education. ;