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Crown seeks 10 year sentence for man who robbed two banks, issued bomb threat and took a hostage

Jason James Allison took a Mission woman hostage after robbing a bank in Mission and Abbotsford.
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On August 21

Crown counsel is seeking a 10-year sentence for a man who robbed a bank, uttered a bomb threat and held a woman hostage in Mission, and also robbed a bank and broke into a house in Abbotsford.

Crown is also asking for a delay in parole eligibility for a minimum of five years.

Jason James Allison appeared in Abbotsford Provincial Court on Friday morning having already entered a guilty plea on two counts of robbery and one count of unlawful confinement and one count of breaking and entering.

Crown counsel Rob Macgowan, reading from an agreed statement of facts, told the court that on Aug. 14, 2015 at about 6 p.m. Allison entered the TD Canada Trust Bank on South Fraser Way in Abbotsford. He walked up to an employee, handed him a note and said “This is a robbery give me the money.”

The note asked for $4,500 and indicated that Allison had a gun.

The bank employee only gave him $200 in small bills – known as decoy money bearing specific serial numbers.

Allison quickly exited the bank.

Surveillance footage allowed investigators to identify Allison who was already wanted on a Canada-wide warrant and has 85 previous criminal convictions.

The next day, an Abbotsford woman discovered her house had been broken into and that someone had searched through the entire house and stolen several items. Blood discovered at the scene was eventually identified as Allison’s.

On Aug. 21, 2015, Allison struck again, this time in Mission. At approximately 1 p.m. he entered the Scotia Bank on First Avenue. He had two satchel type bags with him. He approached an employee and handed her a note.

The note read “In this bag I have a bomb set for five minutes. It depends on you whether I take this bag when I leave.”

The note also asked for a minimum of $10,000 and warned if any sirens were heard, he would set off the timer on the bomb.

Once he had the money, Allison told the employee they were getting the bomb and left the bag in the bank when he fled.

Several blocks of First Avenue were blocked off and nearby businesses were evacuated. The RCMP explosive disposal unit was called in.

After six hours, it was determined that the bag did not contain a bomb.

Later that evening, Allison was spotted on Seventh Avenue by the Mission RCMP. He bolted away from the police, jumped a chain-link fence and continued running. A perimetre was set up to stop him from escaping.

At the same time, a  40-year-old Mission woman was returning to her home after dropping off her 17-year-old daughter at a friends house.

Allison, who had a knife in his hand, approached the woman and told her to open the front door of her house and get inside.

Once inside Allison asked for some water. The woman used that opportunity to go to another room and call her daughter on her cell phone. She warned her not to come back to the house and asked her to get help.

The daughter, who was trying to get back home, approached the police and told them her mother was being held at knifepoint in their home.

Using the daughter’s cell phone call, police were able to talk to Allison in the house. After about seven  hours together, the woman convinced Allison to let her go.

He allowed her to leave just after 4 a.m.

Following two more hours of negotiations with police, Allison surrendered.

The daughter of the woman who was held hostage, appeared in court on Friday to read a victim’s statement.

Through tears, she told the court about how terrifying it was to stand behind the police line, not knowing what was going on.

“I stood there looking down my street for eight hours having panic attack after panic attack . . . I was preparing myself to be a teenager with no mom.”

Allison covered his face with his hands, as the daughter spoke, not wanting to look at her.

She went on to say she didn’t realize when her mom got out that her mother would never be the same.

“What she once was is long gone and it’s never going to come back.”

She described her mother as the happiest, warmest person but now she never leaves the house, the doors and windows are locked all the time  and she fears something is going to happen every day of her life.

“My mother’s not OK.”

While Crown is seeking a 10-year term, the defense counsel has not presented their side of the sentencing hearing.

Before Friday’s hearing began, Allison asked Judge E. M. Ritchie to permit him to release his defense attorney and allow him time to acquire new representation. This would be the fourth lawyer to represent him since his trial began.

“I am concerned that this is simply a delay tactic on your part,” said Ritchie.

The judge has granted his request for a new lawyer.

 



Kevin Mills

About the Author: Kevin Mills

I have been a member of the media for the past 34 years and became editor of the Mission Record in February of 2015.
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