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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 9 February 2019

Judge sentences Canadian serial killer to life in prison

By ROB GILLIES in after they saw him bring
Associated Press that man up to his home.
TORONTO (AP) — A Cana- The man, who survived,
dian judge handed down was identified only as Mid-
a sentence for serial killer dle Eastern and named
Bruce McArthur on Friday, “John.” Investigators found
condemning him to life in McArthur had a USB drive
prison with no chance for that contained a direc-
parole for 25 years. tory with nine subfolders —
McArthur pleaded guilty eight for the men he killed
last week to eight counts and one for the man found
of first-degree murder. The at the time of McArthur’s
67-year-old former land- arrest. “I have no hesitation
scaper sexually assaulted, in concluding that if it were
killed and dismembered not for the police interven-
men he met in Toronto’s tion on Jan. 18, 2018, John
Gay Village district over would have been the ninth
seven years. victim of Mr. McArthur,”
Justice John McMahon McMahon said.
called McArthur a sexual Investigators discovered
predator who killed for his In this artist’s sketch, serial killer Bruce McArthur, center, attends his sentencing hearing in Toronto dismembered remains in
own “warped sick gratifica- on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. planters McArthur used as
tion” and said the victims Associated Press storage for his business. He
suffered slow and painful death,” McMahon said. er victim was homeless, Kinsman was last seen on also staged photos of some
deaths. He called their dis- “The accused exploited smoked crack cocaine a surveillance video get- of his victims after they
memberments pure evil, his victims’ vulnerabilities, and worked as a prostitute. ting into a red van that was died, posing corpses in fur
but said the guilty plea whether they involved im- But then Andrew Kinsman later linked to McArthur. coats and putting cigars in
spared a jury four months migration concerns, men- vanished. The 49-year-old Kinsman’s blood and DNA their mouths.
of graphic and gruesome tal health challenges, or LGBQT activist and for- were found in the van, McArthur pleaded guilty to
evidence that would have people living a secretive mer bartender had many which McArthur had sold to killing Kinsman, Selim Esen,
likely required counseling double life.” friends. When he suddenly a junk yard. Majeed Kayhan, Dean Liso-
after. McMahon said that The victims fit a pattern: went missing the day after “McArthur made a mistake wick, Soroush Mahmudi,
even if McArthur lives to 91, Most were of Middle East- Toronto’s gay pride pa- when he killed Andrew Skandaraj Navaratnam,
the chances of him getting ern or South Asian descent rade, his friends noticed Kinsman. Andrew Kinsman Abdulbasir Faizi and Kirush-
parole are remote at best. and lived on the margins quickly, and so did the was not quite in the same na Kanagaratnam. Police
Prosecutor Craig Harper of Canadian society. Their police. Investigators found profile as a lot of the other said most of the disappear-
had asked for a parole in- disappearances attracted Kinsman’s calendar with an victims and it definitely left ances weren’t reported for
eligibility period of 50 years, little attention. entry titled “Bruce” dated a trail,” Police Insp. Hank 10 to 15 days.
when McArthur would One victim hid the fact that June 26, 2017 — the day he Idsinga said. The prosecution said that a
have been 116. The judge he was gay from his Muslim disappeared. Police found a naked man frequent site of the killings
said that would’ve only family. Another was a re- “Mr. Kinsman making that handcuffed to the bed was McArthur’s bedroom
been symbolic. cent immigrant with a drug notation gave the police when they raided McAr- and that he repeatedly
“All or most of the victims problem. A third was a the key clue that helped thur’s home and arrested strangled his victims either
were vulnerable individu- refugee who was ordered bring the accused to jus- him on Jan. 18, 2018. Police with his hands or with rope
als who were lured to their deported. And still anoth- tice,” McMahon said. surveilling McArthur moved and a metal bar.q

6 people arrested after largest

U.S.-Australian meth seizure

after what authorities said intercepted while bound over the drugs.
Friday was the largest sin- for Australia and would Two of those arrested are
gle seizure of methamphet- have provided around 17 Americans: a 52-year-old
amine in the United States million hits of the substance man and a 46-year-old
and the biggest drug haul also known as ice. woman.
bound for Australia. Australian authorities said Police said the raid in
U.S. Customs and Border that the operation with the Melbourne suburb of
Protection said 1,728 kilo- the U.S. Department of Woodstock where they
grams (3,800 pounds) of Homeland Security, Drug were arrested also found
the drug were seized mid- Enforcement Agency, Aus- “hundreds of thousands
January at the Los Angeles- tralian Federal Police and of dollars of proceeds of
Long Beach port complex Victoria state police had crime.”
along with smaller amounts stopped “a tsunami of ice” Australian Federal Police

This photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows of cocaine and heroin. from reaching their shores. Assistant Commissioner
an officer extracting methamphetamine from a loudspeaker on The drugs were hidden in Police said that six people Bruce Hill told reporters in
Jan. 11, 2019 at the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport. metal boxes labelled as arrested in Australia on Melbourne that police now
Associated Press loudspeakers. Australian Thursday and Friday were believe Mexican cartels
By TREVOR MARSHALLSEA SYDNEY (AP) — Australian authorities said it was also tied to a U.S.-based syndi- are actively targeting Aus-
Associated Press police arrested six people the largest haul of the drug cate under investigation tralia. q