Rural home invasion victims write of 'utter fear and vulnerability' as offender gets 10-year sentence
Armin Babic convicted of robbery with firearm, forcible confinement
The victim of a violent home invasion in rural Alberta told a judge on Friday that his home has become a prison since he and his sister were attacked by a man with a gun who was pretending to be a police officer.
Armin Babic, 42, was convicted last year of robbery with a firearm, discharging a firearm and forcible confinement after a 2019 home invasion at a De Winton acreage, victimizing two strangers who were in their 60s and 70s at the time.
"My home has become my own jail cell," wrote Gavin McLachlan in a victim impact statement.
"Not much more could be destroyed by this violation in our home."
On Friday, Justice Chris Rickards handed Babic a 10-year sentence.
Prosecutors Elaine Ng and Joe Mercier had argued for a 10- to 13-year prison term, while defence lawyer Robert Wachowich proposed a seven-year term.
"This was a targeted and planned home invasion involving elderly victims in their home … terrorizing them," Rickards noted.
'No remorse, no empathy'
In his sentencing arguments, Wachowich pointed out that his client had experienced "horrific" circumstances with a "very troubled" upbringing. He was a displaced Bosnian refugee whose father was abducted and, for a time, separated from the family.
Rickards acknowledged Babic's troubled past but also stated that, "unfortunately, many people in our world have that history and very, very few of them end up invading people's homes."
In his arguments, Mercier noted that Babic has shown "no remorse, no empathy and no insight into his behaviour."
"It's concerning he doesn't seem to have learned anything from this experience."
Rural victims 'vulnerable'
Mercier also touched on the significance of crimes committed in rural communities.
"People in rural areas are more vulnerable," said Mercier. "Police are further away and response times are longer."
Late in the morning of Nov. 19, 2019, Babic was wearing a police vest when he showed up at McLachlan's home on an acreage in De Winton, just south of Calgary. McLachlan's sister, Heather Haddad, was visiting at the time.
When McLachlan opened his door to the man he believed to be an officer, Babic pulled out a gun and demanded access to the victim's safe.
At first, McLachlan denied the existence of a safe, causing Babic to fire a warning shot into a sofa. Babic then held the gun to Haddad's head.
McLachlan then led the intruder to the safe, where Babic took $20,000 in cash plus jewelry and a handgun.
Once the intruder left, McLachlan called 911.
'Utter fear and vulnerability'
Within the hour, RCMP spotted Babic in a vehicle and pulled him over, finding all of the stolen items from McLachlan's home.
Despite the quick arrest, the victims continue to suffer the trauma of that morning.
Haddad wrote in her victim impact statement about the extreme, overwhelming feelings of insecurity.
"I have never before experienced the profound threat of losing my life, when the shot was fired in my brother's home as I lay bound, face down on the floor," she wrote.
"That feeling of utter fear and vulnerability continues to haunt me."
McLachlans sold home
McLachlan and his wife were forced to sell their home during a market downturn for fear that whoever had given Babic their information would do it again.
"We worked hard all our lives to accomplish what we have, and to have someone come into our home dressed as a police officer with a gun and rob you is so unfathomable that it is really beyond comprehension," wrote Gavin's wife, Lynn McLachlan.
The McLachlans said their marriage was strained by the fallout, they suffered financially and the sound of guns caused Gavin to give up hunting, a sport he'd loved for 50 years.
"This will forever change our now uncomfortable retirement," wrote Gavin.
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