Coutts Three Trial: Crown ends arguments, defence teams opt against inviting witnesses

The Coutts Three – Marco Van Huigenbos, George Janzen, and Alex Van Herk – are being charged with mischief over $5,000 for their participation in the 2022 Coutts protest and blockade, which at times blocked traffic across the Canada-U.S. Coutts-Sweetgrass border crossing. The demonstration took place concurrently with the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa, ON, with the two peaceful protests utilizing civil disobedience in opposition to government orders and mandates marketed as "public health" measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

The three defendants told Rebel News they were pleased with their defence lawyers, with their attorney fees partially covered by The Democracy Fund, a non-profit organization describing itself as committed to protecting constitutional rights and freedoms.

On Monday, the prosecution and defence teams will present arguments to Justice Keith Yamauchi, the judge presiding over the trial, regarding their requests for instructions to be provided to the jury. The prosecution and defence teams will likely dispute parameters of jury instructions regarding evidence, and how testimony and evidentiary exhibits are to be applied in the jurors' deliberations.

Defence attorneys told Rebel News they expect the jury to return to the courtroom on Tuesday for instructions from Yamauchi before retiring to deliberate their verdicts.