Coutts Three sentencing complicated by refusal to participate in pre-sentencing procedure

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This is just an excerpt from The Ezra Levant Show. To see new, ad-free episodes, which air Monday - Friday @ 8 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. MT, become a subscriber to RebelNews+. This episode originally aired on August 2, 2024.

On Friday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra was joined by Rebel News' Robert Kraychik to discuss the state of the trials against the Coutts Three and Coutts Four, both cases relating to the trucker blockades of early 2022. 

Reporting from Lethbridge, Robert provided the latest details on the two cases. The Coutts Three have been convicted of mischief over $5,000, which carries a maximum punishment of ten years in prison. The three men, Marco Van Huigenbos, Alex Van Herk and George Janzen were found guilty by a jury in April, and now await sentencing. 

The sentencing has been complicated by the refusal of Van Huigenbos to be interviewed by a probation officer for the preparation of a pre-sentence report (PSR), which is used to inform judges' decisions regarding sentencing. Van Huigenbos told Robert that the questions that Van Herk was asked in his PSR interview seemed too invasive, asking about political beliefs and religious practices. "He further told me that he has expectations that he will face more severe consequences — that's his word — from the judge, given that his lack of compliance may be interpreted as intransigence."

"If the idea is to dispute the conviction, and then the thing to do is to appeal it. If the jury got it wrong, if the judge got it wrong, then appeal it. If the judge gets the sentence wrong, then appeal it. But to accept the jury's conviction, which these men have done, and then to not participate in the pre-sentence report, which I've got to think could only help the men — I find that worrying," said Ezra.