FORMER Mounile Scott
Simpson pleaded guilty to traf-
ficking marijuana.

NV man jai

Anna Marie D’ Angels

News Reporter
dangele@nsnews.com

A West Vancouver man was
i “recently jailed three years for
his part in the Sept. 1 rob-
.bery and beating of an elderty
night desk clerk at the

. Canyon Court Motel.

Richard Lorne Mitchell, 29, plead-
ed guilty to robbing Haiderali Karim,
a 67-year-old night clerk at the motel.

According to'the North Vancouver
"RCMP, Mitchell entered the Capilano
- Road’ matel and pretended there was
someone injured: outside. Karim was
persuaded to leave the office. -

rom pane V

After being ordered detomed.
Simpson Pleased wuilty to a single

dents from Rebs .
He will likely be sentenced cariy next
year.

Federal prosecutor Chiffe said
North Vancouver Mounties received a
complaint abou’ Simpson in January
trom the principal ar Keith Lynn
Alternate secondary school and stu-
dents there. An intensive police inves-
tigation ¢

Simp: arrested when he
reported for work on Feb, 16. The
Crown lawyer said Simpson “candidly
confessed” about supplying the boys
with marijuana.

While Simpson was being inter-
viewed at the detachment on the day
of his arrest, North Vancouver
Mounties raided Simpson’s home in a

basement suite in the 3200-block of

Regent Avenue in the Carisbrooke
area. Police found a smalt amount of
illegal drugs. They also found a

y ex-constable

anigue cobra-styled pipe used for
smoking dope.

Cliffe said that Simpson was on
police duty when he met and
befriended the two 14: vear-ald boys,
Cliffe said thar Simpson held him-
self out to the boys and their mothers
asa positive role model and “kind ofa
Big Brother.”

Simpson and the teens smoked
dope at the police officer's home.
Simpson lived in’ Richmond and
moved to North Vancouver during
the course of the crime.

et) noted thar Simpson had a
criminal record with a 1994 convic
tien of having a blood alcohol level
greater than .08,

The offence rook place in
Richmond and carried a $300 fine and
a driver's licence suspension.

Simpson’s lawyer said his client lett
Vancouver at the end of May and
moved in with his parents in
Peterborough, Ontario.

Janzen said that Simpson acted ike
most former police officers in the
same situation and tried to get work in

the “security tield.”

But Simpson could not get a job.

He instead took over a busy beer
and wine brewing franchise in’ Port
Hope. Ontario on Oct. 1. fess than a
month before his teal was to start on
trafficking charges involving underage
males and breaches of trust.

In 1987, Simpson joined the

IMP as a special constable in the

ative Diplonatie Protection
on. The job involved security
work for ambassadors.

Through a federal government ini-
tiative special constables became regu-
lac Mountie officers in 1994.

Speaial constables required addi-
tional police waining to bring them up
to the level of regular Mounties.

A crew-cut Simpson wore a white
open neck dress shirt and dark dress
pants as he listened to court proceed-
ings on Tuesday.

“Simpson officially quit the RCMP
in March, one month after he was
charged. He had worked patrol duties
for the previous four years in North
Vancouver.

led three years for robbery of clerk

A second robber then jun
Karim from a stairwell as the Ra
returned to the office. The second
robber, wearing a ski-mask, beat the
clerk in the stairwell. Karim was
dragged back into the motel.

Mitchell and the other robber ran-
sacked the office.

A beaten Karim was forced to open
the motel’s cash drawer az knife-point.
The masked robber held a knife at
Karim’s throat, according to the
police.

Karim was beaten again by the
masked robber who wanted the clerk’s
wallet, according to police.

Police say Mitchell did not partici-
pate in the beatings.

Several hundred dol-

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lars were taken during the ] a.m reb-
bery.

Karim suffered numerous bruises, a
cut lip and thumb.

Besides the violent robbery charge,
Mitchell pleaded guiley to nine North
Shore burglaries and a Burnaby charge
of being uniawtully at large trom
prison.

The burglary charges took place
between Aug. 26 and Sept. 12 at West
Vancouver and North Vancouver
homes az the following:
1300-block of Sowden St.;

B 1300-block of Oakwood Cres;
% 1200-block of Alderwood PI;
@ 1300-black of West 17th St.;
@ 1300-block of West 17th St.;

#1 400-block of Paindance Cres.;
14€0-block of Fulton Ave.;
1100-block of Gordon Ave.;
i 400-block of Raindance Cres.
Mitchell was AWOL from prison
on July 23.
North Vancouver provincial court
Judge William Diebolt prohibited
Mitchell from possessing guns for 10

years during sentencing on Oct. 29.

Mitchell was arrested about two
weeks after the motel robbery and has
been in custody ever since.

A co-accused in the motel robbery
case, Brian Spence,”37, is slated for a
triai on Dec. 14. Spence is a former
North Vancouver. tesident. He cur-
rently has no fixed address

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