THE Province newspaper reported online on Thursday evening that according to an NDP spokesperson, Arun Bains received a conditional discharge and six months probation on January 29 for marijuana possession in connection with a December 2013 incident in Victoria while he was a student at the University of Victoria.

The newspaper quoted Harry Bains as saying that Arun’s parents “had no clue that he would be involved in any of this stuff” and that they were “as shocked as anybody.”

The newspaper added : “But he also acknowledged the possibility there were things happening in his nephew’s life that his family didn’t know about.”

Bains told The Province: “Who knows when kids are out, who they hang out with and what they do? A lot of times parents are the last people to know what’s going on out there.”

The newspaper also reported that a private funeral had been planned for Friday.