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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife man awaiting sentencing on breaking and entering into a Yellowknife convenience store and awaiting trial on break and enter with intent charges in regards to a different convenience store is back on the street.

Territorial court Judge Garth Malakoe granted Lloyd Thrasher's release yesterday after one of Thrasher's relatives committed to give him a place to stay.

"Malakoe was satisfied that he could abide by law so he released him," said Crown prosecutor Jean-Benoit Deschamps, who opposed Thrasher's release, arguing that the public needs to be protected. "He has tight conditions."

Among those conditions, Thrasher has been ordered to have no contact with the victims of either break and enter, is not to attend either store where the break-ins occurred and is to abstain from alcohol and drugs.

"I'm not going to allow him to be in a position where he would be a repeat offender," Thrasher's relative said in court. "No way in hell will that happen when I'm around."

Thrasher is scheduled to appear in court next on April 10.

The owner of Willy's convenience store is concerned about Thrasher's release.

"I'm concerned, you know," said William Cheng, adding that Thrasher has admitted to breaking into SunLines Convenience store on Jan. 4. However, the accused has pleaded not guilty to breaking and entering charges at Willy's in the early morning of Feb. 21.

"They come out (of jail) and they're doing the same thing like they did before. I feel sad about it," Cheng said.

Thrasher is awaiting sentencing on charges from the SunLines incident. He has also pleaded guilty to breaking his curfew on the night Willy's Convenience store was broken into, but maintains that he did not break and enter into Willy's that night, and was simply walking by when he saw the perpetrator running down the street.

Cheng's frustration with the justice system is relatively common among victims of crime, said Lydia Bardak, executive director of the John Howard Society.

She said she'd prefer a justice system that focuses on crime prevention.

"We are investing currently in what we do after the crime has occurred and the crime has been done," said Bardak. "(We should be) putting the investment in the crime prevention: the healing, the treatment, so that we don't have victims of crime."

"Whatever measure has to be taken against those things happening again, I quite agree with," said Cheng. "We want to have Yellowknife as a safer place to live; a safer place to do business."

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