Skip to content

Surrey RCMP investigate threats against city councillor

‘He said that I shouldn’t live, and he talked about rape,’ Coun. Brenda Locke said
28543814_web1_220324-SUL-LockeThreats-Locke-_1
Surrey Coun. Brenda Locke. (File photo: Lauren Collins)

Surrey Mounties arrested a man on Sunday concerning threats a city councillor received by email earlier this month, the Now-Leader has learned.

“He sent some threats in to me, about nine of them,” Coun. Brenda Locke said Tuesday. “He said that I shouldn’t live, and he talked about rape. It was pretty aggressive.

“You can pretend it doesn’t, but it does bother you,” she said. “It’s all over the map.”

Locke said it was “definitely” related to her work as a councillor. “He sent it here to city hall, to my email here, oh yeah, no, it’s definitely my work as a city councillor.”

“It’s particularly sad because this city doesn’t normally behave this way. I’ve talked to other councillors, they didn’t see this in the past,” she said.

“It’s very upsetting, actually. It’s a divided city and people will take their hostilities and their emotions out in ways that are highly inappropriate and this was definitely highly inappropriate.”

READ ALSO: Surrey RCMP investigating death threat against councillor Hundial

READ ALSO: Surrey RCMP arrest local man accused of threatening Councillor Jack Hundial, prime minister

Locke received an update from the investigating constable “pertaining to the threats” made against her on March 4.

“On March 20, we arrested the suspect, and during a custodial statement he admitted to sending the threatening email,” the message reads. “After the custodial statement, we strongly believe that the suspect does not have the means or motivation to harm yourself. The suspect was released from police custody on an Undertaking with conditions not to contact you and not to attend your workplace, which included City Hall.

“The investigation is ongoing, and we are in the process of writing a search warrant for additional evidence.”

Cpl. Vanessa Munn declined to provide further details.

“Charges have not been laid and therefore I am not able to confirm details of the investigation or the identity of any involved parties,” she said Tuesday. “I can confirm that the file number you provided does correspond to an ongoing Surrey RCMP investigation into threats.”

“Yes, a suspect was arrested March 20 concerning a report received March 4, 2022,” Munn added.

Coun. Jack Hundial, himself a target of deaths threats in 2020 via facebook messenger “that basically said to put a bullet in me,” said Tuesday the messages aimed at Locke were “really nasty emails.

“I do feel bad for her because she doesn’t deserve it,” he said.

Locke echoed that.

“Women in politics get treated very aggressively,” she said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had aggression towards me, that’s for sure. It doesn’t bother me when people are aggressive but this one was over the top, for sure.”



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram  and follow Tom on Twitter



About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
Read more