A Coquitlam man jailed for nearly two years for taking part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in China is back behind bars for setting fire to his family home.
Jin Ming Han pleaded guilty to an Oct. 7, 2022, arson and to uttering threats against his former spouse, Dong Liu, about six months before the fire.
In his judgment on Feb. 27, 2024, Port Coquitlam Provincial Court Judge Nicholas Preovolos gave Han credit for the two years and 30 days he served in custody on the arson charge and sentenced him to an additional 11 months in prison.
Han also received a 14-day custodial sentence for the threats against the mother of his two children, to be served concurrently to the arson.
According to the written ruling made public this week, Han and Liu’s marriage dissolved during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, in May 2020, and he moved out of the family home in Coquitlam in February 2022 while the couple’s adult daughter remained with her mom.
On March 6, 2022, Han and his daughter met at a restaurant, and she recorded their conversation when he made concerning comments about Liu.
“[He] told his daughter that if he did not receive $1 million from the sale of the family home he would kill Ms. Liu,” the judge wrote.
“He also admitted that he had been drinking alcohol regularly and had been thinking about coming to the family home to kill Ms. Liu. He also found it embarrassing to tell friends and family about his martial breakdown.”
The couple’s daughter called police; however, Han refused to tell Coquitlam RCMP where he was living.
A week later, Han sent threatening messages to his estranged wife; one of the messages claimed he would kick in the door to the family home. He was arrested and released on an undertaking, the court heard.
But on Oct. 7, 2022 — the same day he was scheduled to appear in court on the threatening charge — Han went to the family home early in the morning hours, where his ex-wife and daughter were sleeping on the second level.
Their daughter heard glass shattering, got out of bed and saw her father climbing the stairs with a 25-litre jerry can of gas. She called on her mother, who locked her bedroom door.
Han then poured gas at the top of the stairs and in front of Liu’s bedroom, the judge wrote, and the daughter tried to take the can away from him.
In their struggle, the daughter pushed him down the stairs, but he returned and tried to light the front of Liu’s bedroom. The daughter got the lighter, barricaded herself in her bedroom and called 911.
Again, Han threatened to light a fire if Liu didn’t come out of her bedroom; however, the mother had already jumped out of the window to escape, causing her to break her back. She crawled into some bushes and hid until police arrived.
Liu was later rushed to hospital for back surgery.
Their daughter, meanwhile, also escaped through her bedroom window and climbed onto the roof when black smoke billowed in. When she saw her father leave in his vehicle, the daughter returned inside to rescue her mother — not knowing she had already jumped out.
Emergency services guided her out of the burning home.
“Mr. Han returned to a suite that he was renting,” the judge wrote. “He did not call 911 for the fire department to attend at the family home or to attend to him, although he had suffered significant burns that required several weeks of treatment in an intensive care burn unit and multiple surgeries. Police were led to him a day or two later by a friend they had contacted for assistance locating him.”
In his ruling, the judge wrote that Han, now 59, immigrated to Canada with Liu in 1993 after fleeing to Hong Kong in 1991 as a political refugee. He became a Canadian citizen in 1996.
In Canada, he was a contractor specializing in home renovations and supported their family of four. But a $60,000 loss on a construction project — and the need to borrow money to cover the loss — put strain on the marriage, the judge wrote.
“This coincided with the COVID-19 lockdowns, which decimated his income. He grew increasingly withdrawn and depressed, and the tension in his marriage increased.”
Still, in letters of support, Han’s friends described him as a kind and helpful person who was generous with his time and skills.
Han helped his elderly neighbours and helped his church community.
“[They] are aware of his legal problems and area standing by to assist with accommodation and employment after he is released,” the judge wrote, adding, “Remarkably, Mr. Han receives visits not only from friends and members of his church but also his daughter, who continues to support him despite the horrendous experience she endured because of his actions. Perhaps that speaks to his redeeming qualities more than anything else.”
As for Liu, her back injuries continue to aggravate her. She lost income due to missing work and racked up about $30,000 in renovation bills following the fire.
“The psychological fall out has been long lasting,” the judge wrote. “She feels safe from Mr. Han only because he is in jail. At the same time, she is forthright about being conflicted, acknowledging that she cares about him as her former partner of 30 years and recognizes that he was hurt by the fire, too.”
Besides the jail sentence, Han will be on probation for 30 months after he is released, is required to provide a DNA sample and is banned from having firearms.
