Ni. Van court hears attack ky GQUARAINT BIS 1D Best Prices On scenario A NORTH Vancouver man couldn’t figure out why one of three knife-wielding robbers was still screaming at him as he complied with an order to hand over his coat. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter It turns out that the Korean-born robber didn’t want James Mitchell's “coat.” He wanted his “code,” as in bank card code. “He (lames Mitchell) rezl zed this when the accused asked him for his wallet and bank card,” said Crown lawyer Ron Kockx on ‘Tuesday in North Vancouver provincial court. ; Kockx was speaking during sen- tencing proceedings involving three Korean-born teenagers. | The tsenagers, ages 15, 16 and 127, can- not be identified as stipulated under the Young Offenders Act. The three have been in jail since they were arrested on Jan. 11, short- ly after the robberies. They pleaded guilty on Jan. 22 to robbing three people — James Mitchell, his mother Thelma Mitchell and Thomas Scheinpflug at Waterfront Park next to Loasdale Quay. The trio also pleaded guilty to wearing masks while committing the robberies and possessing a dan- gerous weapon, a knife. ; Kockx said the Mitchells were knocked to the ground from behind _ by the robbers. James Mitchell, 37, scrambled to protect his 65-year-old mother while both were on the con- crete pavement. As James Mitchell was kneeling over his mother’s mid-section, one of the teenagers held a long. knife to his ribs, At the same time, another ‘robber put his gioved hand over the mouth of a screaming Thelma Mitchell. She believed she was going to be suffocated by the wool glove. . _ _Kockx said the teenager pushed Thelma Mitchell's head into the concrete. Both victims had lost their glasses when first knocked down at 8 p.m. “Mr. Mitchell kept saying, ‘It’s my mother, it’s my mother’ and (one of the robbers) yelled ‘Shut up, shut up’,” said Kockx. As the robbers ran off, James Mitchell heard one of them say, “We know where you live. We'll kill you if you talk.” The third ‘robbery victim, Scheinpflug, 35, thought the teens had been assisting the Mitchells in some way. The teens spoke with Scheinpflug and then jumped him, knocking him to the ground,” said Kockx. Scheinpflug, pinned with the knife pointed at his shoulder area, tumed over his wallet. The trio ran towards the SeaBus. A B.C. Rail security guard first spotted two of the fleeing teens at the raif-tunnel at the foot of ~ Chesterfield Avenue. One of the teens stopped when ordered by One of the youths, here on a student visa, burst out crying occasionally. Defence lawyer Dan Sudeyko said a Korean gang-affiliated man known as “Sang” was attempting to recruit the boys. Sudeyko said his client, who has no criminal record, is in Canada on a student visa which expires in July. He said the sentence will force his client to return to Korea and partici- pate in a 30-month compulsory stint with the armed forces. “His plans (to be a car designer) are now gone,” said Sudeyko. Defence lawyer Harry Hunter - said his client moved here from Korea with his mother and sister last May. They are landed immigrants. The father, who works in Seoul, hopes to join his family some day. Hunter said the teenager attends a secondary school in North Vancouver. He noted a school offi- cial’s report that stated it was not uncommon for frustrated ESL stu- dents to get caught up in the “tinted glass cell phone crowd.” Hunter also brought up the mys- terious Sang, whom he described as being 20 years old. Judge Bill Rodgers adjourned sentencing to Feb. 26 before the third teen’s lawyer spoke. Kockx asked for an 18 to 24- month secure custody sentence for each of the teens plus probation. The two defence lawyers had asked for one or two months in secure custody. Jury backs lesser charge ITTOOKa B.C. Supreme Court jury less than a day to decide to convict a West Vancouver man of manslaugh- ter in the death of his elderly live-in mother two years ago. By Brent Mudry Contributing Writer Michaet McCune, 56, was charged with second-degree riur- der, but the jury opted to convict him on the lesser charge. McCune was convicted on ‘Tuesday, the day after the jury received final instructions from Mr. _ Justice Wally Oppal. The judge has set a sentencing hearing for March !4. McCune was charged in the death of his 83-year-old mother at her home in West Vancouver on Jan. 29, 1993. The cause of death was lacera- tions to the liver. The Crown prosecutor contend- ed that the injury was caused by stomping on the victim. 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