THE COMMON-LAW wife of a man
who killed a North Vancouver doctor in
1992 has almost nothing good to say
about the local RCMP, social services
and the medical profession.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
Naws Reporter

Margaret’ McPherson testified on
Wednesday during the second day of a five-
day inquest in Burnaby into the death of Dr.
Verne Flather.

Flather, 55, was gunned down in front of
his home at 43) East Keith Rd. home on April
22, 1992,

Flather's killer, David Henderson, was
found insane and therefore not criminally
responsible for the shooting, He was confined
to the maximum security area in the Port
Coquitham Forensic Psychiatric Institute.

Henderson, 52, was deemed through court
evidence to be suffering from paranoid schizo-
phrenia with a strong persecution complex at
the time of the murder.

“He didn't get psychiatric care, and no one

said he needed psychiatric care,” said
McPherson, who was Henderson’s partner for
more than 17 years.

“The last five years of our relationship, he
was very paranoid, | was his sole support. |
couldn't stand it any more.”

Henderson was Flather’s
to 1986.

McPherson expressed a dim view of
Flather whom she said refused to discuss
Henderson's personality changes in the early,
“80s. :

s patient from 1980

more concerned with mysclf and him
(Flather),” said McPherson.

McPherson said Flather “did something

quite gross” to her.
She later claborated about what she said
was an unseemly remark Flather made to her

“He (Flather) was very flippant. He was

Inquest into Dr. Verne Flather shooting

about a Pap smear test.

“He grabbed me by the boob and made a
sleazy pass at me. ‘The second time he grabhed
my ass,” said MePherson.

Fluther’s daughter, Patti, was sitting in the
front row of the inquest audience while
MePherson testified.

Said Patti Flather afterwards, “I'd like to
say it's unfortunate that my father is dead and

“nol here to defend himself”

Patti Flather said it was hurtful for the fam-
ily members {to hear
McPherson’s allegations,

Patti Flather added
that, to the best of her
knowledge, no one ever
made a complaint con-
cerning alleged sexual
advances relating to her
father’s medical practice.

“And I worked in his
office.” said Patti Flather,

In the witness box,
McPherson said she “was
pretly sure” that
Henderson knew about the
alleged Pap smear com-
ment. She said her partner
dealt with the situation by
telling her to wait in the parking lot for him
after doctor visits.

“David didn’t harbor any hatred or dislike
for him (Flather).” said McPherson,

She said she believed Henderson didn't
know where Flather lived.

McPherson did not make an official com-
plaint to police or medical association about
the alleged improper incidents.

McPherson said Henderson's next doctor,
Dr. Toivo Randsalu, refused to talk to her
about her feelings about her partner's deterio-
rating mental state.

“He busically said they no longer had a

66 J didn’

it was loaded or not

when he put it to my

head and discharged
it, 99

-— Margaret McPherson

patient-doctor relationship and not to bother
him or something to that effect.” said
McPherson.

She estimated that Henderson was
Randsalu’s patient from 1986 to 1988.

Henderson was in pain from a back injury
he sustained in [980 while working on the
North Shore waterfront.

McPherson also blasted local social ser-
vices staff for thwarting her efforts to get help
for her partner.

She claimed a recep-
tionist told her to “stop
hassling us” and social
services worker Margaret
Young did not return her
calls.

“They made me very
angry. I told them that Pm
his common-law partner
and they said, "Well you
are not on dur files; you
don't’ exist,” ” said
McPherson.

Young was scheduled
to testify after McPherson
on Wednesday, but did not
do so. The issue that
Young's testimony might
compromise patient confidentiality concering
Henderson was being discussed by lawyers.

Despite Henderson's apparent mental prob-
lems he was able to buy a handgun in 1989.

McPherson said she suspected Henderson
was taking the gun out with him so she hid it.

The resulting argument ended with
Henderson holding the gun to her head.

“Tdicn’t know if it was loaded or not when
he put it to my head and discharged it,” said
McPherson.

She did not report the incident to the police,
but instead, “les it go.”

During Christmas 1989, McPherson said

t know if

she “decked™ Henderson after he physically
attacked her over a small argument.

She ran out of the couple's fourth-floor
suile carrying the dog. An RCMP officer inter-
viewed her while she. took refuge in the man-
ager's suite.

“He said, ‘We can't do anything. He is not
letting us in,” said McPherson, who described :
herself as abused and victimized.

McPherson said she told the police to take
away the guns (the handgun and two rifles)
and that Henderson needed to have a psychi-
atric evaluation.

The officer suggested she stay in a halfway
house, but she declined and went back to her
home “much later in the evening.”

A lawyer representing RCMP interests,
George Carruthers, asked why McPherson
hadn’‘t taken up the offer to go to a halfway
house.

Coroner fan Marshall answered, “She felt
she was the injured party and police should
remove the person that injured her.”

The North Vancouver RCMP confiscated
Henderson's guns in March 1990 after he
reportedly pointed a handgun at a Surrey man.

The man came to check out Henderson’s
car, which was for sale.

McPherson said it was “like Miami Vice”
when she answered the door and a “hyped”
Const. L. Boutilier stuck a rifle in her stomach.

“He comes charging in and pushes me back
with the rifle ... He didn’t say anything,”
McPherson said.

McPherson said the RCMP officers patron-
ized her. She was never asked to sign a State-
ment concerning her knowledge of the inci-
dent.

The weapons were returned, despite her
protests, as the Crown decided not to proceed
with charges.

Four months later, Henderson bought
another handgun.

“I was shocked,” said McPherson.

Sve Henderson page &

Thieves pilfer
Bonaparte pieces

POLICE INVESTIGATING -
“a hit‘and run accident in the -
West End Thursday afternoon .

stumbled upon some startling ©
_ hot property.

Police seized from a rental
van a rare death mask of
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, a
hat and a bust stolen from a West
Vancouver home several days
ago.

The driver of the van fled the
scene at Barclay and Denman.
, To press time investigators were
* following up on information pro-
vided by a passenger of the van.

A collector of Napoleon
Bonaparte memorabilia fell vic-
tim to what police describe as a
‘targeted break and entry some-
‘time between Saturday night and
Sunday morning - in the
Dundarave area. |

The death mask of Napoleon,
cast by his physician at the time of
his death in 1821, was among one
of several historical pieces takeh
during the burglary.

The thief also took a number
of other items from the collector's
home including:

—S Napoleon’s sword;

Bi several of his medals, among
them the French medal of Legion
of Honor;

DEATH MASK of Napoleon
Bonaparte was recovered
by police.

& Napoleon's telescope;
a brass bugle with an eagle on
the front, from the Franco-
Prussian Wars;
Wi the sword of the First Governor
of Canada Lord Aylmer; the
sword bears the initials ‘of King
William IV;
a soldier's
1810;
Bithe Order of Lilly: given by
King Louis XVII of Frande to an
acquaintance of Nupoleon’s;
@ several letters and orders writ-
ten by Napoleon. a
Information regarding: the
stolen items may be forwarded to
Det. Bob Fontaine at 922-414].
oy

flint-lock nif le circa

ABOUT 160 people turned out
last Saturday to help search for
the remains of a murdered
North Vancouver woman near
North Vancouver’s Seymour
Demonstration Forest.

By Anna Marie D’Angela
News Reporter

Lynn Duggan, 34, was mur-
dered and her body removed from
her apartment some time between
June 16 and June 17, 1993. A litile
over a year after the murder.
Duggan's skull was discovered
near the Seymour Demonstration
Forest, north of the North
Vancouver Cemetery on Lillooet
Road.

The rest of Duggan’s remains
have yet to be found.

Said Duggan's brother, Brad.
“We covered a large, large area of

‘and. It was great to see everybody
show up and help out. The family
was overwhelmed by the support
that came through.”

North Shore Rescue Team
member Eric Bjarnason organized
the five-haur search on the sunny,
crisp day.

“There were a few of us that
took some slides, but there were no
injuries,” said Brad Duggan, 31.

Brad Duggan said searchers
found animal bones.

“We didn’t find anything that
related to the case.” he said.

Brad Duggan said the family
will take a break from searching the
area until December.

Last Saturday marked the third

Eee ies :
NEWS photo Paul McGrath

JULIE, THE sister of murder victim Lynn Duggan, teads volun-
teers on a search Saturday for the remains of her sister.
Searchers combed the Seymour Demonstration Forest area.

weekend Lynn Duggan’s family,
friends and members of the public
took part in a search for her body.
Meanwhile, Lynn Duggan’s
boyfriend at the time of her death,
Brock Joseph Graham, will stand
trial on Feb. 2 in connection with a
charge of possessing a restricted
weapon. The trial date for the
weapon charge was set on Monday
in Surrey provincial court.
Graham, 34, was arrested on
Feb. 16 at 3 a.m. in the Guilford
area of Surrey after a resident
reported a suspicious vehicle dri-
ving up and down 80th Avenue

near 152nd street with its head-
lights out.

A Surrey RCMP officer alleged-
ly noticed a handgun sitting on
Graham's front passenger seat after
stopping the Porsche.

Police say they found a ‘loaded
.22-calibre revolver, a bullet-proof
vest, a bamboo baton, a police
baton and two Knives in the car.

Graham is a former Vancouver
City Police officer. He quit the
department in 1990. At the time of
alleged handgun incident, Graham
was on leave from a security job
with B.C. Transit. wl