Criminal charge withdrawn against spouse of Nova Scotia mass killer

HALIFAX -

Lisa Banfield, spouse of the gunman who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April 2020, is relieved that a criminal charge against her in connection with the shootings has been dismissed, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Banfield was charged in March with unlawfully providing her common-law spouse with ammunition in the month leading up to the mass killings.

"It's a great relief to her; it's a great relief to her sisters, and it's a great relief to me as well," lawyer James Lockyer said in an interview.

"It's all a part of Lisa trying to restart her life," he said.

Crown prosecutor Sarah Lane told Judge Theodore Tax at the provincial court in Dartmouth, N.S., that Banfield has successfully completed the restorative justice process and that the Crown is withdrawing the charge against her.

With the charge withdrawn by the Crown, Tax said that for "complete closure" of the matter he would dismiss the charge entirely.

Banfield, her brother and brother-in-law were charged with giving Gabriel Wortman .223-calibre Remington cartridges and .40-calibre Smith and Wesson cartridges. Police have said all three had no prior knowledge of the killer's plans.

The charges against Banfield's brother and brother-in-law were also withdrawn by the Crown.

Nova Scotia's restorative justice program creates opportunities for people accused of crimes and victims of crime to work together to come to resolutions, permitting suspects to avoid criminal records.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2022.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.