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A burglar who broke into a West Vancouver home in the middle of the night and was tackled by the homeowner who wrestled him to the ground has been handed a sentence of 32 more months in prison.
Wesley John Spiekermann, 52, of Vancouver, was handed the jail time in North Vancouver provincial court June 7 after pleading guilty to breaking into a home in the Cedardale area around 3 a.m. on the morning of April 1.
Crown prosecutor Ariana Ward said the family members who live in the home – including three children – were asleep at the time Spiekermann broke in by climbing on to their deck and cutting out the screen enough to push a window open. One of the homeowners was woken up when he heard sounds in the kitchen, said Ward. At first, the man assumed it was one of his children getting up for a glass of water, and went to investigate, said the prosecutor.
When he got to the kitchen, he found Spiekermann dressed entirely in black and wearing a face mask, rummaging in the kitchen pantry.
The homeowner yelled to his wife to call 911 while chasing the suspect, who ran further into the house, said Ward. On his way back through the kitchen, the homeowner tackled the suspect and the two began to wrestle, ending up back on the kitchen deck by the time police arrived.
Police discovered a knife in Spiekermann’s jacket pocket and a pry bar that he’d used to open the window just outside.
The incident has significantly impacted the family’s sense of safety in their home, said the prosecutor. She added this is Spiekermann’s 18th conviction for breaking and entering.
Ward said corrections officers noted in a pre-sentence report Spiekermann said he commits B&Es “to get money, and that it’s become part of his life. And he got hooked on the adrenaline rush.”
Defence lawyer Michael Smith acknowledged Spiekermann has a long history of similar behaviour, caused by a longstanding severe drug addiction combined with fetal alcohol syndrome.
“He’s spent most of the last 30 years in jail,” said Smith, adding his client is remorseful about the break-in.
In sentencing Spiekermann, Judge Joanne Challenger said it’s obvious he has a significant brain injury caused by FAS that is impacting his judgment and behaviour and “heartbreaking” that he has not been able to get needed supports.
But she added protection of the public must also be considered.
Challenger recommended that Spiekermann serve his sentence at a healing lodge for Indigenous offenders – but acknowledged there is only one such lodge in B.C.
She handed him a three-year jail sentence, with credit for time already spent in custody.
