Pastor of Saint John church jailed for a week after defying COVID rules
CBC
A Saint John pastor who was fined last week for not complying with New Brunswick's COVID-19 emergency order has been jailed.
Philip Hutchings of His Tabernacle Family Church was remanded to jail until the court proceedings resume next Friday.
But not before he got a tongue-lashing from the judge about flouting the court order he signed a week earlier.
Justice Hugh McLellan of the Court of Queen's Bench said Hutchings essentially "mocked" the order within two days of signing it.
"I have concerns about Mr. Hutchings's personal credibility," McLellan said.
The judge also took Hutchings to task for putting the safety of his congregation in jeopardy by not following the guidelines of Public Health and the rules set out in the province's mandatory order for managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The judge referred to a four-minute video that was played in court, showing people going into and out of the church without wearing masks. A section of the video clearly showed an unmasked Hutchings coming to the door and standing in the doorway for a short time.
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