Charges against spouse of Nova Scotia mass killer were 'lawful,' Crown says
CTV
Federal lawyers say it was lawful and reasonable to charge the spouse of the man responsible for the Nova Scotia mass shooting for supplying him with ammunition.
Federal lawyers say it was lawful and reasonable to charge the spouse of the man responsible for the Nova Scotia mass shooting for supplying him with ammunition.
Lawyer Patricia MacPhee made the argument in a written statement of defence before the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
She rejects the accusation by Lisa Banfield that the RCMP conspired to stage a malicious prosecution against her.
Banfield alleges she was charged in December 2020 because the RCMP wanted to deflect attention from mistakes police made during the response and investigation into the killings.
Banfield's husband, Gabriel Wortman, killed 22 people on April 18-19, 2020, using multiple firearms and driving a replica RCMP patrol car.
MacPhee says Banfield was cautioned during police interviews that statements about providing ammunition to her spouse could be used as evidence.
"Canada denies that the RCMP instigated a baseless investigation into the plaintiff's involvement in the mass casualty," says the court document filed Jan. 31. "It was lawful, reasonable and just for the RCMP to investigate how the perpetrator acquired the firearms, associated equipment and ammunition to carry out the mass casualty."
