A Vancouver man accused of aggravated assault after an alleged attack on two young women who’d rented his Airbnb suite two years ago has pleaded guilty to less serious charges days ahead of his trial.
Arvin Pasha, 34, entered guilty pleas to the lesser included offences of assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm on Sept. 5.
Pasha’s trial on the aggravated assault charge was scheduled to begin Sept. 9. The BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) said those trial dates have now been cancelled.
The two victims, sisters from Alberta, were attacked while staying at Pasha’s Airbnb suite in May 2022.
At the time, Pasha had a valid City of Vancouver short-term rental business licence for the apartment listing at 2130 West 3rd Avenue in Kitsilano.
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“It (was) horrifying. There was blood everywhere,” neighbour and witness Saad Mustafa told Global News on June 13, 2022.
Mustafa said he heard female screams and a man yelling in the early hours of May 27, 2022, and opened his apartment door to a horrific scene in the hallway.
“One young lady, she appeared to have a stab wound in the neck or neck area. It was covered with a white long scarf or shawl. She was on the floor lying on her back and she was bleeding very, very badly,” he said.
“There was another young lady who was pinned to the wall and being threatened by a knife.”
Mustafa said the attacker fled through a side door when he called 911. Pasha was arrested at the scene.
Both victims survived after suffering injuries police described as non-life threatening.
Airbnb said the host was removed from the platform after the attacks, and the company also fully refunded the guests and provided support flights and other expenses.
According to the City of Vancouver, the short-term rental licence for the individual at the unit where the stabbings occurred, was closed shortly after the incident.
The court has ordered a pre-sentence report with a psychiatric component be prepared for Pasha by Nov. 5, when dates for sentencing are expected to be set.
The original aggravated assault has not yet been stayed and the file will remain “alive” until the sentencing hearing concludes, according to the BCPS.
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