A Prince George man who celebrated his 100th birthday on Aug. 1 has been denied in his application to the province’s Crime Victim Assistance Program to recoup the damages after an attempted home invasion.
Carl Aastrup was at home on March 19, 2022 when a man in his 20s started banging on his front door asking to be let into the house. When Aastrup refused, the man became agitated and picked up a snow shovel on the front porch to try to break his way in. He used the shovel to break the handle of the metal screen door and broke one pane of glass in the double-paned living room window next to the door.
Aastrup called the RCMP and within minutes they were on the scene, where they arrested a suspect.
“He seemed surprised when they showed up,” said Aastrup. “It amazed me he didn’t run away."
The police officers made sure Aastrup was all right before they left. The two police officers were marvellous," he said.
He cleaned up the broken glass and took the screen door off before having a friend who is handy with woodworking come over to fix the window.
The cost of the repair was $460 and Aastrup paid the bill himself.
A few weeks later, Aastrup received a subpoena to testify in court as a witness but in January 2023 he learned he did not have to appear because there was an admission of guilt.
He was asked if he would like to attend an Indigenous restorative tribunal where the suspect would appear with members of the community and the criminal justice system to receive a sentence.
“I didn’t really commit myself but I didn’t say I wouldn’t take part,” said Aastrup. “Later, I regretted that I didn’t say that I would because that would have been interesting. I never did hear if he was sentenced to anything or put in jail.”
After they heard about what had happened, Astrup’s friends applied on his behalf to have the provincial Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) cover the cost of the home repair.
In a response letter dated Aug. 27, the provincial CVAP office in Victoria sent Aastrup a letter to inform he did not qualify for any compensation.
“Attempted home invasion (break-and-enter) and mischief under $5,000 are not amongst the prescribed offences in which benefits may be provided, “wrote a CVAP adjudicator identified in the letter as ‘Peony.'”
“I have reviewed the incident described in your application and the police report to determine whether it qualifies as forcible entry, which is a prescribed offence under the (Crime Victim Assistance) Act. However, I must inform you that I cannot conclude that the elements of this offence have been met. Forcible entry requires that the perpetrator physically enters the home while it is occupied by you.
“Although the police report confirms you were home at the time of the incident, it also confirms that no entry was made by the perpetrator. I understand the incident occurring on March 19, 2022 was undoubtedly traumatic. However, as the incident does not involve a prescribed offence, and I do not find that a prescribed offence occurred because no entry was made, your claim unfortunately falls outside the scope of the Act.”
Aastrup said he was stumped by that part of the letter and can’t understand why the provincial organization would deny his claim.
“That letter, that no entry actually took place, it’s pretty hard to take that seriously,” said Aastrup. “It seems cockeyed to me, not very reasonable. I don’t know what can be done about it. The money isn’t the big issue, I’d just like to see a little attention called to such bloody nonsense. It could well be tough on some people.
“The way it was handled, if that could be challenged I kind of think that could serve a useful purpose.
Aastrup says his legs don’t move like they once did and he lacks mobility, but he has no major health concerns. He takes a few medications every day but his mind is sharp, his memory clear, and he still has a farmer’s grip. You’d never know he is a full century old.
“I was 97½ at the time and this was a young guy – if I had been 40 years younger it would have been a different story,” he said.
Aastrup emigrated from Denmark in 1951 and got a job in Prince George working the sawmills. In 1955 he paid $1,275 to buy an 80-acre plot of land in Buckhorn, southeast of the city, and living on his own he worked his own cattle farm for 54 years until he was 88, when he sold his land to move into the city.
Aastrup says he was well able to afford the $460 repair bill but he says not everybody is a similar situation and money could be an issue. He remains hopeful the province will add attempted home invasion as one of the crimes that would meet the criteria for victim compensation through the program.
In January 2024 the Act was expanded to include offences such as online sexual exploitation and publication of an intimate image without consent. Benefit rates were increased to reflect the rising costs of funeral expenses, crime scene cleaning and counselling services and to increase victim access to benefits after crimes involving extreme violence or death.
In 2022-23, CVAP received 4,700 applications and paid out nearly $17 million.
