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June 22, 2010
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Grant’s killer returns to jail
32 pages
SPORTS STRONG TO THE FINISH
Darnell Pratt being assessed to see if he will serve full sentence. AMY STEELE asteele@mrtimes.com
D
arnell Pratt, who dragged 24year-old Grant De Patie for seven kilometres under a stolen car in an attempted gas-and-dash, is back in jail after not returning to the halfway house he was required to live at as part of his statutory release. Police issued a Canada-wide warrant for Pratt after he failed to show up at his Kamloops halfway house Friday. He was arrested Saturday evening. Jean-Paul Lorieau, acting regional manager of community relations and training for the National Parole Board, told The TIMES in a previous interview that the board imposed “the most restrictive set of conditions” it could possibly impose on Pratt for his statutory release. He was required to stay at a halfway house and wasn’t eligible for any leave privileges such as weekend passes. Pratt was also required to receive psychological counselling from a psychologist or elder to “address unresolved emotional issues,” to participate in community based substance counselling and programming to address mental health, substance abuse and violence, abstain from alcohol and drugs and not associate with anyone involved in criminal activity or substance abuse. He also was not allowed to have direct or indirect contact with De Patie’s family. Alain Charette, spokesperson for the Correctional Service of Canada, said Pratt is back in jail and a parole officer will now have 30 days to decide what will happen. Pratt could be returned to the community under the original conditions imposed by the board or, if the parole officer decides he should remain in jail, the matter would have to go back to the board
for a decision. “We will look at the facts and make a well-thought decision on this situation with the new facts we have and based on that the future course of action will be determined,” said Charette. Doug De Patie, Grant De Patie’s father, told Canwest News Pratt going on the lam was “a letdown.” “I’m disappointed in him right now, but I really do want him to do the best — because it cost Grant his life to try and stop Darnell.” He added that he was “disappointed” with the parole officer and the Correctional Service of Canada. “How c o r re c t e d i s h e ? He couldn’t even last two days. He’s got two years left in his sentence, so if he can’t meet the conditions, he should be back in jail serving those two years. That’s justice.” Pratt, who was 16 at the time of the crime, received a nine-year sentence for killing De Patie. However, in April 2007 the B.C. Court of Appeal reduced his manslaughter sentence to seven years, factoring in credit for time served prior to sentencing. According to the National Parole Board, his full sentence was six years and two months and De Patie’s statutory release period would end on July 10, 2012. During his sentencing the court heard that Pratt, an aboriginal, was raised by a single mother addicted to meth and he had been in and out of government care since he was 12. He had a Grade 8 education and admitted to being drunk daily after he turned 16. The B.C. Court of Appeal found that his youth and aboriginal background should have been given more consideration in the original sentence and the court emphasized Pratt’s rehabilitation as a factor in sentencing. See the editorial on Page 8 and vote at www.mrtimes.com.
WE’RE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK!
Mitch Thompson/TIMES
Jaroslaw Pukacz of Maple Ridge celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the Iron Mountain Triathlon at Whonnock Lake on Sunday. Pukacz finished second out of the 50- to 55 year-olds. He plans to build on Sunday’s success to compete in the triathlon world championships in Budapest, Hungary in September. See more photos on Page 23.
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