LIVE UPDATES: Trial continues for three alleged leaders of Coutts border protest
The focus of today's proceedings is on the instructions that will be provided to the jury by Justice Keith Yamauchi.
The trial for Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and George Janzen continues today in Lethbridge, Alberta. The three men are each being charged with mischief over $5000 and facing up to 10 years in prison for allegedly being "key participants" of the 2022 Coutts border blockade.
The 18-day Coutts demonstration saw dozens of protesters unite in opposition to government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions in early 2022 near the border of Coutts, Alberta and Sweet Grass, Montana.
Occurring concurrently with the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, the anti-mandate demonstration halted millions of dollars in trade and contributed to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta, proving to be one of the most impactful protests Canada has seen in decades.
As reported by Rebel News' Robert Kraychik, the Crown ended its arguments on Friday, with the defence teams opting against inviting witnesses or introducing additional evidence.
Much of the recent proceedings have focused on the testimonies of RCMP officers Mark Wielgosz and Greg Tulloch, both of whom interacted with the protesters during the demonstration.
The focus of today's proceedings is on the instructions that will be provided to the jury by Justice Keith Yamauchi. Both the prosecution and defence teams are deliberating and offering requests on how the instructions should specifically be phrased.
The jury is expected to return to the courtoom Tuesday to receive their instructions from Justice Yamauchi before convening to deliberate their verdicts.
Rebel News reporter Robert Kraychik is on the ground at the Lethbridge courthouse, providing independent reporting on the trial of the Coutts Three.
Follow along below for live updates from the trial:
Crown and defense teams offer recommendations/requests to Justice Keith Yamauchi, the judge presiding over the Coutts 3 trial, on how to specifically phrase his instructions to the jury for their deliberations. https://t.co/LNZIIEjGra pic.twitter.com/KpcDS1liIo
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 15, 2024
A publication ban prohibits reporting/posting information about the discussion/dispute ober the judge's instructions to the jury given that the jurors are not present in the courtroom for this process. https://t.co/Vu7x4Sq96L https://t.co/mIhJKvGq4E
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 15, 2024
Proceedings resume in the Coutts Three trial. The Crown and defense teams will advise the judge of specific language and parameters of the judge's instructions to the jury (how certain pieces of evidence/testimony may or may not be applied, etc). https://t.co/LNZIIEjGra
— Robert Kraychik (@rkraychik) April 15, 2024
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