Man who killed off-duty Abbotsford Police Department receives five-year sentence
By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The man convicted in the killing of an off-duty Constable from the Abbotsford Police Department in downtown Nelson has been sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter.
Crown prosecutors confirmed that Alex Willness was sentenced in BC Supreme Court on Thursday after he was found guilty of manslaughter charges in 2023.
With credit for time served in jail, Willness will serve three years and 325 days in jail for the July 202o incident on Baker Street in Nelson.
Willness was found guilty after the trial judge dismissed the claim of self-defence.
The court heard that Cst. Allan Young, 55, was dining in the late evening with his wife on an outdoor patio of a Baker Street restaurant when he confronted Willness, who was causing a disturbance from across the street, leading to the interaction.
Young, a 20-year veteran of the Abbotsford Police Department, was seriously injured when he was struck by a skateboard and fell to the ground, hitting his head on the pavement.
Young died in Kelowna General Hospital five days later.
In a written statement, the Abbotsford Police Department said the sentencing of Mr. Willness has been a long time coming and it was clear from the evidence presented at trial that Cst. Young’s death was senseless and unnecessary.
“The Abbotsford Police Department thanks our colleagues at the Nelson Police Department for their investigation of this incident, the Crown for their work in the prosecution of this case, and all the witnesses who provided their accounts of the incident,” the Abbotsford Police Department statement said.
“We are glad that the prosecution resulted in the conviction of Mr. Willness for Manslaughter and that he has been sentenced.”
The Abbotsford Police Department said that nothing will bring Cst. Young back to his loving family or back to members at the Fraser Valley force.
“Cst. Young and his family remain in our thoughts and our hearts.”
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