The province will be looking into the death of a man accused of sexual assault in Wesbrook Village in 2016.
The BC Coroners Service has announced that it will hold a public inquest into the death of David Singh Tucker, who died at a Surrey pre-trial facility on July 25, 2016.
Tucker was arrested on April 30, 2016, and charged with breaking-and-entering, sexual assault and causing bodily harm, forcible confinement, robbery and wearing a mask with intent to commit an indictable offence after forcibly entering a ground-level apartment in Wesbrook Village. He allegedly sexually assaulted three women.
Tucker was last seen alive at approximately 4 p.m. on July 24 when he received dinner. Early the following morning, he was “found unresponsive” in his cell by correctional officers during a check.
“This is not a mandatory inquest but generally speaking, deaths in correctional facilities in B.C. go to inquest,” said Andy Watson, BC Coroners Service’s manager of strategic communications, in an emailed response to The Ubyssey.
On December 10, 2018, the inquest will provide a public look at the evidence regarding his death.
This formal court procedure will include coroner Susan Barth and a five-person jury. After they hear evidence from witnesses about Tucker’s death, they are able to recommend ways to prevent similar deaths.
But the jury “must not make any finding of legal responsibility or express any conclusion of law,” according to the service’s media release, which also noted that the BC Coroners Service is not a “fault-finding agency.”
According to Watson, the inquest “will probably last a week” — a more accurate timeframe will be established once the witness list is determined.
Yuan Zhi Gao, who was tried as Tucker’s accomplice on the grounds he had served as a lookout while the alleged crimes were committed, was acquitted in May 2018.