Langara library exposer to be released this month

By Ty Lim

A man convicted of a series of indecent acts at Langara and the Lower Mainland is set to be released at the end of the month after serving a sentence of 30 days in jail plus time already served.

Charged early May 2022, Christopher Kumar Ram, 36, is expected to be released after almost a year in detention.

According to court documents, Ram pleaded guilty for masturbation in a public place on March 27, 2022, exposing himself to a staff member at the college. 

He also pleaded guilty to indecent acts on the SkyTrain in New Westminster and in Richmond in April 2022, and in Surrey in October 2021. He also pleaded guilty to violating supervisory orders, visiting a community centre and removing an electronic monitoring bracelet. 

Ram’s conditions

Ram was given an 18-month probation order to start after he is released. The details of the order include him being banned from any college, university, or school campuses without approval, a ban from any park with a playground, and public pools and gyms without written permission from his probation officer, and a ban from Foster Park in Burnaby. He is also prohibited from riding the Skytrain or taking any public transportation without supervision and he must report to a psychiatrist for assessment and any treatment deemed necessary by his probation officer.

At Langara, there were two other incidents of a man exposing himself to students and faculty in March and April 2022, in the library, though no criminal charges ensued.

Business and administration student Anthony Herveary witnessed the aftermath of one incident. He recalls seeing police entering the library while he was on one of the upper levels and how upset the victims of the incident were.

The aftermath

“I still could remember it clearly … what I saw in their faces,” said Herveary. “One of them was crying.”

At the time, he was unsure of exactly what happened, but two days later he saw the incident reported on in the news. He also recalls seeing security comforting the victims and speaking to the police.

Langara counsellor Michael Cheng said students affected by such events can seek counselling.

“An event like the ‘Langara flasher’ could definitely constitute trauma, as it takes away one’s autonomy, is a huge shock to the nervous system, could be a trigger that reminds a student of past traumatic experiences that are similar,” Cheng said in an email to the Voice. “And of course occurred on our campus, which students regard as a safe space of learning.” 

Security at Langara

Ashamdeep Dhillon, protective services coordinator at Langara, said Langara security policies have “not changed as a result of the incident,” in an email to the Voice. 

Dhillon also said extra security could be provided on the campus if deemed necessary. She also said students could download the Langara Safe app for easy communication with campus security.

Herveary, thinks that security could place more cameras around the campus, potentially making any intruder more easily identifiable.

Karanveer Singh, a web and mobile application development student, thought Paladin Security should hire more experienced workers. He also suggested student ID cards to tap into the library. 

“Definitely it’s going to defame the reputation of the college if these events keep on occurring,” Singh added.