North Shore News October 31 2012

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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

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Fire wrecks nine WV businesses

Ambleside commercial complex suffers severe water damage Brent Richter brichter@nsnews.com

AT least nine West Vancouver businesses suffered significant damage Sunday night after fire broke out in an Ambleside commercial building. West Vancouver firefighters raced to the 1300-block of Marine Drive around 10 p.m when numerous witnesses called to report smoke and flames coming from the roof of Tasos restaurant. Crews kept the blaze contained to the kitchen, but eight neighbouring businesses suffered severe water damage, according to West Vancouver assistant fire chief Martin Ernst. The building sat boarded up and guarded by security Tuesday morning. A structural engineer was on site later that day to gauge the building’s integrity. “The upper floor is definitely not safe,” said Ernst. “It appears that on the upper floor, the roof section in part of it is See Fire’s page 3

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

A firefighter inspects the damage on Marine Drive Monday.

Lawyer questions credibility of witness testimony

Convicted North Van axe killer plans appeal Jane Seyd jseyd@nsnews.com

A lawyer for a North Vancouver man found guilty of first-degree murder in the axe killing of a fellow drug dealer will likely be appealing his conviction. Darcy Lawrence, lawyer for Babak Najafi-Chaghabouri, 30, said Friday an appeal is likely, based on the credibility of witnesses who testified in the trial. In May, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies convicted Najafi-Chaghabouri of firstdegree murder for killing Ronak “Ronny” Wagad with a hatchet at a remote site near the Fraser River on Feb. 23, 2009. Davies found a second man accused in the

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killing — Charles Anthony Leslie, 34 — guilty of second-degree murder. The verdict followed a lengthy trial in which both men pointed to the other as responsible for the gruesome killing. Davies ruled both men were ultimately responsible for Wagad’s death, but NajafiChaghabouri was the one who wielded the hatchet for the fatal blows. Key evidence in the trial came from Travis Winterlik, an accomplice of Najafi-Chaghabouri and Leslie, who helped lead police to Wagad’s remains and testified in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Ali Reza Alamdari, who was Najafi-Chaghabouri’s roommate in North Vancouver, testified that Najafi-Chaghabouri confessed See Conviction page 3

photo Mona Kayello

FIRE broke out in West Vancouver’s Tasos restaurant late Sunday night. The flames were contained to the kitchen, but smoke and water left neighbouring businesses inoperable.

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