Article content
An Alberta Hells Angel sentenced to nine years last year for the kidnapping and beating of a British Columbia man was attacked by another inmate at Matski Prison earlier this month.
Article content
Sources confirmed that Robert Lowry, of the Edmonton branch of the notorious biker gang, was injured in the Nov. 18 attack.
Article content
Marie Messer, an assistant warden at Matsqui, said in an emailed statement that “it was determined that an inmate was the victim of an assault” at the medium-security federal institution.
“The injured inmate was examined by staff members and transported to an outside hospital for treatment and has since returned to the facility,” the statement said. “The attackers have been identified and appropriate action has been taken.”
Messer did not say what those actions were.
“No staff or other inmates were injured during this incident. The Correctional Service of Canada will be investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Messer said. “The safety and security of institutions, their staff and the public remains the highest priority in the operations of the federal correctional system.”
Article content
CSC regional manager Jean-Paul Loriot later told Postmedia that the police had not been contacted about the attack on the inmate.
Lowry is appealing both his 2020 sentence and his 2021 sentence. His appeal is due to be heard in January.
In July 2021, the British Columbia branch of the Supreme Court convicted Lowry, his Hells Angel co-star Neil Cantrill, and Cantrill’s son Stefan, after convicting all three a year earlier of kidnapping, extortion, aggravated assault and overcoming resistance for cruel attack on Robert Hole, a former Hope man who grew cannabis for Neil Cantrill for more than a dozen years.
In December 2014, Hole traveled to Edmonton to tell his partner he wanted out of the pot business and offered the grow equipment to the biker.
Article content
He heard nothing more until July 31, 2016, when Neil Cantrill contacted him to set up a meeting. The next day, Houle arrived at a roadside stop near Hope, where he was caught, strangled and beaten, then taken to his house, where the trio tried to force him to sign over the property.
RCMP officers arrived and took Houle to hospital for cuts, broken bones and a burn to his forehead.
Branch said Hule was deeply affected by the brutal attack and was forced into the witness protection program.
“When Mr. Lowry was choking him, Mr. Howle thought he was going to die as he was losing consciousness as well as control of his bowels,” Branch said. “He left town for fear his life was in danger.”
At the time of the attack, Lowry was a Hells Angel on the prowl. Later he became a full member of the club.
Neil Cantrill was jailed for 10 years and his son got six years for their roles in the 2016 kidnapping and assault.
kbolan@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/kbolan
Add Comment