Vancouver: Four suspects have been convicted in relation to a violent home invasion that took place in East Vancouver on March 11, 2023.
The Court’s decision in relation to one accused was delivered on April 2 and comes after a year-long Vancouver Police investigation spanning seven crime scenes. It resulted in the identification and successful conviction of the persons who committed the kidnapping, in which four people were taken from their family home in East Vancouver, driven out of the city, and held hostage for a period of time.
In April 2024, the VPD arrested three of the four suspects and forwarded charges to Crown counsel. Charges were later recommended against the fourth suspect.
A 17-year-old youth entered a guilty plea to lesser included offences of being unlawfully in a dwelling house and forcible confinement. The youth was sentenced in 2024 in Youth Court and has since completed his sentence.
The following two adult individuals entered guilty pleas to kidnapping and break-and-enter:
- Duoth Techen Garkouth, age 21
- Ramadhan Ibrahim-Hussein, age 21
Sijuola Obatusa, age 23, was found guilty on April 2 after a trial in Supreme Court.
“The judge’s decision validates the long hours that our investigators spent collecting evidence to hold these suspects accountable,” says Constable Darren Wong. “More importantly, it brings a sense of justice to the victims who were hurt.”
Obatusa, Garkouth, and Ibrahim-Hussein are currently in custody. The next appearance is May 6 to schedule a date for their sentencing hearing.
