Rabih Alkhalil escaped from North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam at about 6:45 p.m. on Thursday. Photo by HANDOUT/RCMP /jpg

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A man on trial in a gangland murder case has escaped from North Fraser Pretrial Centre.

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Several sources confirmed that Rabih Alkhalil left the Port Coquitlam facility Thursday night after cutting a hole in the fence using a plasma torch. He was wearing a construction vest. Rabih Alkhalil is age 35 with short black hair, brown eyes, 5’10 and 166 lbs. Police say he was wearing a black jump suit and high visibility vest when he escaped North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam on Thursday night. Photo by HANDOUT/RCMP /jpg Late Thursday, Coquitlam RCMP issued a news release alerting the public to the escape. Const. Deanna Law said Alkhalil, 35, is considered dangerous. She said police were called at 7:30 p.m. by North Fraser staff about the escape. “At this time, the RCMP is working closely with B.C. Corrections and the investigation is ongoing,” she said. “Alkhalil is confirmed to have left in a White Econoline van with two others who were posing or employed as contractors. The van left North Fraser Pretrial at approximately 6:48 p.m., and travelled westbound on Kingsway Avenue.

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Police released this image of a white Econoline van that they believe two accomplices used to help Rabih Alkhalil escape from North Fraser Pretrial Centre. Photo by HANDOUT/RCMP /jpg Alkhalil is described as 5’10” and 166 pounds with short black hair and brown eyes. “If you see Alkhalil, police ask that you not approach him and instead call 911 immediately,” Law said. Alkhalil is charged in connection with the January 2012 first-degree murder of gangster Sandip Duhre in the lobby of the Sheraton Wall Centre. And he is also charged with conspiring with others to murder Sukh Dhak between Aug. 6, 2011 and Aug. 8, 2012. He has pleaded not guilty to both counts. Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil, right, has been on trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver since June 29, 2021. Photo by Court files /PNG Alkhalil is not the first person to escape from North Fraser, a provincial jail run by B.C. Corrections. In August 2008, Dean Douglas Sykes posed as his own cellmate and was taken to court where he was released as the other man. When he was later caught, he received a 14-month sentence.

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And in November 2007, gangster Omid Tahvili bribed a prison guard who helped him escape from North Fraser. He was never recaptured. The B.C. corrections officer, Edwin Ticne, was later sentenced to three years, three months in prison for breach of trust. Crown lost an appeal to increase the sentence. Tahvili’s escape was recorded by video cameras showing that  Ticne “escorted Mr. Tahvili through four security doors between his living unit and the public exit from the pre-trial centre where they parted,” the B.C. Court of Appeal noted. Ticne then “facilitated Mr. Tahvili’s passage through the security doors by pushing buttons that alerted staff in the central control area who unlocked the doors after identifying the respondent and a person apparently a contract cleaner.”

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Tahvili had changed into clothes matching those worn by contract cleaners at the pre-trial centre. Ticne left the jail and “drove to a near-by service station where he was to receive $50,000 for getting Mr. Tahvili out of prison,” the court ruling said. “No one met him and he received no money.” At the time of his escape, Tahvili was awaiting sentencing for kidnapping, sexual assault and threatening death or bodily harm. He was sentenced in absentia to six years and three months. [email protected]postmedia.com Twitter.com/kbolan More news, fewer ads: Our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. For just $3.50 per week, you can get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

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