Life sentence for Syrian refugee who murdered and raped Burnaby teenager

A Vancouver court sentenced Syrian refugee Ibrahim Ali to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the next 25 years after he was found guilty of the premeditated murder of a 13-year-old girl from Burnaby, British Columbia.

The case has gripped the nation since the girl’s body was discovered in a forest park in 2017. It showed signs that suggested she had been sexually abused before her death.

The identity of the young victim remains protected by a publication ban.

The verdict was marked by statements from the girl’s family, in which they described their grief and the turmoil they have faced since Ali’s crimes.

In his statement, the father described the moment he learned of his daughter’s disappearance and death.

“It seemed to me as if a light suddenly went out and everything went black,” said the father.

During the trial, Ali, who was connected to the courtroom via video, reacted visibly detached from the emotional testimony by pacing up and down in his cell.

During the trial, the girl’s brother painted a picture of a family that was irreparably shattered. The mother was described as “completely destroyed”.

Instead of apologizing, Ali protested his innocence in court and insisted that he was not present at the crime scene in Burnaby’s Central Park where the girl’s body was discovered.

The case was not only a legal dispute, but also drew attention to Canada’s immigration policies under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ali’s refugee status and the subsequent protests outside the courthouse in 2019 sparked heated debates about national security, with protesters demanding greater accountability and harsher penalties for violent crimes.

Authorities identified Ali after an extensive investigation that included more than 2,000 possible DNA matches and tens of thousands of pieces of evidence.