Ryan Cran moved

Ryan Cran, who was convicted in the brutal 2001 beating death of Aaron Webster, has been moved from the minimum security Ferndale Institution in Mission to the medium security Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford after a jailhouse incident in which he was involved, Webster’s family has been told.

Federal privacy legislation prohibits Corrections Canada from revealing any specific details about the incident. “That may be revealed in any upcoming parole hearing but we can’t reveal that to the public,” says Corrections Canada spokesperson Dennis Finlay.

Cran was transferred to Ferndale in April making this his second move this year.

Matsqui Institution spokesman Randy Scott says Cran is still eligible to apply for full parole next Feb 8, but that he must attend a hearing to determine if his behaviour while in custody warrants his release.

Cran became eligible to apply for day parole Aug 8 and unescorted absences on Feb 8 of this year, but he hadn’t applied for either by the time he was moved to Ferndale. Corrections Canada won’t confirm whether he has applied since then.

His statutory release date is Feb 7, 2009 and he remains under sentence until Feb 11, 2011.

On the night of Nov 17, 2001 Aaron Webster was attacked and beaten with blunt weapons by a group of thugs. Webster was chased naked from the popular gay cruising area on Lee’s Trail to the parking lot at Second Beach where he died of his injuries.

Cran was convicted of manslaughter and given a six-year sentence in 2005 for his part in the fatal attack. He has appealed that conviction and is due in court on Sep 21.

Co-accused Danny Rao was acquitted.

Two youths, who can’t be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty for their roles in Webster’s killing. They each served two years in jail and are now serving the remainder of their sentences in open supervision in the community. They both live in the Lower Mainland. Webster’s family met recently with the youths for restorative justice meetings.