Kidnappers flew from Vancouver to Calgary to abduct city teen for ransom, court told
Kidnappers flew from Vancouver to Calgary to abduct a city teen who was bound with duct tape and held for ransom, court heard Friday.
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Reading in a statement of agreed facts, Crown prosecutor Katherine Love told Justice Margaret Keelaghan of the female victim's harrowing experience.
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She said Raejean Hudson, 25, and Enyi-Egbe Idedevbo, 29, along with an unidentified third man, staked out the 19-year-old victim on April 29, 2023, before returning to her place of work three days later.
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When the girl, identified by the initials L.E., finished her shift on May 2, 2023, she wen out to the parking lot to her car, Love said.
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'Upon reaching the driver's door of her vehicle, L.E. was grabbed by one of the males while the other two remained in the front seat of (their) vehicle. That male forced her to the floor of the back seat of the Santa Fe,' Love said.
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'She was forced into a position where she could not see where the vehicle was being driving.'
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The trio took the victim to an Airbnb by the people that had been arranged by the people who hired them, Love said.
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Victim had no idea why she was being kidnapped
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'There L.E. was taken to a room in the basement. She could see that there was something like black plastic covering the walls and floor. L.E.'s wrists, ankles and eyes were then bound with duct tape. One of the males recorded L.E. like this while another held an unlit butane torch in front of her face.'
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Less than a half hour after the abduction the victim's brother, who was overseas received the video from an unknown individual on a social media platform.
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A still photo showing the teen bound by duct tape around her wrists, ankles and face, sitting on black plastic with a hand holding a butane tank was included in the agreed facts.
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'It shows the butane torch, Ms. L.E., and the black covering in the room,' Love said.
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'At the time she was kidnapped, she was unaware that she was related to anyone who was. She had no idea why she was being abducted,' the prosecutor said.
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Daniel Fawcett was fatally stabbed on Nov. 6, 2022, in Gibbons Park. He played for several bands in his decades-long career. (Photo: Facebook) Craig Allan's explanation about what he knew about the death of London musician Daniel Fawcett 'did not make sense.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But, the judge said, the key Crown witness, 'is an accomplished liar.' In the final analysis, Superior Court Justice Patricia Moore didn't believe either Allan, 50, or the associate who was with him in the early morning hours of Nov. 6, 2022, when Fawcett was stabbed to death in Gibbons Park. 'In the end, when I consider the evidence presented in totality, I am left with a reasonable doubt and must therefore find Mr. Allan not guilty to the offence of second-degree murder,' she said in her decision to acquit him. 'I appreciate this is not the result that any family or friends of Mr. Fawcett may have hoped for, but it is the result that the law demands.' Craig Allan. Allan sat quietly in the prisoner's box during the decision. When Moore told him he was free to go, he turned and hugged his parents and defence lawyers. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Allan went on trial in March in the death of Fawcett, 52, a talented guitarist who had played for the Canadian rock band Helix. His body was found by a jogger in the north London park hours after he had been stabbed twice – once in the back and once in the heart. The case offered a glimpse into London's drug culture and showed how vital technology – such as security footage and text messages – has become to police investigations. While the police identified two people involved in the homicide and pieced together most of their movements after Fawcett was stabbed, the trial came down to who wielded the knife. And that depended on whether Moore could rely on the testimony of the associate – an admitted drug addict and dealer, whose identity is protected by court order – or on the lengthy police statement given by Allan after his arrest in Woodbridge, where he gave 'an ever-evolving story.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Allan's evidence, at the end of his police statement, is basically that he was not present at the time of the stabbing and knew nothing about it, except after the fact, and that it was (the associate), who was the stabber,' Moore said. In the statement, Allan initially claimed he wasn't even in London at the time. That changed once he was presented with security videos from different locations that showed he was with the associate. 'Given Allan's ever-evolving story to the police each time he was confronted with evidence that undermined what he was telling the police, I am simply unable to find him at all credible,' Moore said. But rejecting Allan's statement didn't necessarily mean he was guilty, the judge said. Although the Crown pieced together the movements of Allan and the associate from video, there was no footage near the park showing what happened during or immediately after the stabbing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The one piece of evidence tying Allan and the associate together at the crime scene was a cigarette butt found 52 to 60 metres from the park trail that had two people's DNA on it which were close matches to them. The Crown argued 'the only logical explanation' was Allan was waiting in the trees for the associate and Fawcett to arrive. 'While I find that the conclusion the Crown seeks me to draw is a plausible one, I cannot find it is the only possible explanation in the circumstances,' Moore said, adding it was strong circumstantial evidence of Allan's involvement but 'not conclusive.' The judge turned to the evidence of the associate who testified they had a conflict with Fawcett. The associate claimed Fawcett had assaulted them, stolen from them and pestered them for drugs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The associate routinely sold drugs to Fawcett and maintained a lengthy and sometimes testy text message relationship with him. They sometimes stayed at Fawcett's apartment. The plan hatched with Allan was to lure Fawcett to the park to beat him up. The witness and Allan went to a parking lot just outside of the park, then split up, with Allan hiding in the park. A security camera caught the two of them arriving, separating and the witness leading Fawcett down a path. A memorial for Dan Fawcett at Gibbons Park, where the musician was stabbed on Nov. 6, 2022. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press) The witness testified they walked ahead as Allan jumped out and stabbed Fawcett. Allan caught up to them and they discarded the knife the next day as they left town in a stolen car. But Moore pointed out the witness had 79 criminal convictions, and many of the offences listed were crimes of dishonesty and violence. There also were threats made to Fawcett in text conversations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. And there were many contradictions in their testimony. Moore said the associate did have a motive to lie. 'It is simple. (They do not) wish to be labelled a killer.' The judge called the associate 'an accomplished liar' and said 'it would be unsafe to rely on their evidence where it is uncorroborated.' 'I'm also mindful that (the associate) had the motive, means and opportunity to stab Fawcett,' she said. 'While I find that based on their testimony and other evidence presented that they are likely not the person who stabbed Fawcett, I cannot be sure,' Moore added. 'It is not enough for me to believe that Allan is probably or likely guilty. Proof of probable or likely guilt is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt.' Outside of court, Allan's lawyer Carolynn Conron said 'justice was served' for her client. London defence lawyer Carolynn Conron was photographed on June 26, 2025. (Jane Sims/The London Free Press) 'I know these cases are always difficult, particularly where there are two potential versions of events that can both be true, but I think the judge did the right thing in this case.' Allan was in custody until the verdict. 'I think he is relieved and he's happy to be going home with his parents,' she said. jsims@ Toronto Raptors Celebrity Canada Canada Toronto & GTA
