British ColumbiaA former correctional officer has pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust for not reporting contraband at a jail in Port Coquitlam, B.C.Ramandeep Rai pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust, lawyer says another charge will be stayedCBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2025 6:35 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.An arial view of the North Fraser Pretrial Centre. One of the jail’s ex-guards, Ramandeep Rai, pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust on Nov. 14. (B.C. government )A former correctional officer has pleaded guilty to one count of breach of trust for not reporting contraband at a jail in Port Coquitlam, B.C.Ramandeep Rai (maiden name Bassi) of Abbotsford, who formerly worked at North Fraser Pretrial Centre, had been charged with two counts of breach of trust last month, according to Coquitlam RCMP.The first count alleged that, between July and September 2022, Rai, in connection with the duties of her office, committed fraud or a breach of trust by “engaging in an inappropriate relationship with an inmate,” according to a charge information document.The second count was related to “failing to report the existence of contraband and/or facilitating the use and movement of contraband,” according to the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS).Rai pled guilty to the contraband charge in provincial court Friday, according to Court Services Online.Rai’s defence lawyer, Gagan Nahal, said he anticipates the Crown will stay the proceedings on the first count related to the allegations of an intimate relationship with an inmate.Nahal said he could not confirm any type of relationship.”Miss Rai acknowledged her wrongdoing, that she was aware of a cell phone … that was within the facility, and rather than reporting it and whatnot, she failed to do so, which was required of her given her duties there,” Nahal said.He said Rai is a 31-year-old who did not have a criminal record, but has since lost her job, and noted a conviction can be life-changing.Nahal said the defence has ordered a psychiatric report and a pre-sentencing report.”She did lose her father a few months before this incident and she was at a very low point in her life, and so we just want to make sure we have everything in order,” Nahal said.Nahal said sentencing will likely be in March or April.CBC News has reached out to BCPS to confirm if it will stay the proceedings on the first breach-of-trust charge.The charges are not connected to the escape of convicted murderer Rabih Alkhalil, who broke out of the same Port Coquitlam jail on July 21, 2022, and was arrested three years later in Qatar.With files from Liam Britten and Lauren Vanderdeen
Ex-jail guard in Port Coquitlam, B.C., pleads guilty to breach of trust related to contraband
