N.S. trial set to begin for six of 15 charged in vicious assault of Halifax inmate
A trial is scheduled to begin Wednesday at a Halifax convention centre for six of the 15 inmates accused of participating in a vicious assault of another prisoner at a Nova Scotia jail.
The victim sustained life-threatening injuries in the Dec. 2, 2019 attack at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.
The union that represents correctional officers at the jail has alleged a large group of inmates formed a wall to block guards from reaching the victim.
Jason MacLean, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, said in an interview Tuesday the alleged assault in the jail known as Burnside left corrections officers shaken and fearing for their safety.
"It's an important trial because, historically, if there was any effort of inmates to act out, people got very little in the way of a penalty," MacLean said.
"It appears this time, it's taken very, very seriously ....There's quite a few people testifying, and it's important to the morale of the facility."
MacLean, who worked in corrections for about 20 years, said the union is eager for all the facts to emerge. "If there would be a time to pay attention to what happens in our facility, people should pay attention to this trial and the story of what happened that day," he said.
The first defendants facing trial are Colin Ladelpha, Kirk Carridice, Jacob Lilly, Wesley Hardiman, Omar McIntosh and Matthew Lambert.
They are facing charges of conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful confinement, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and obstructing a peace officer.
Lilly also faces a charge of assaulting a guard in the trial before Justice Jamie Campbell of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Court documents say the victim in the case was another inmate, Stephen Francis Anderson, who the corrections service indicated recovered from his injuries.
Rick Woodburn, one of the two prosecutors for the trial, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday the trials have been broken into separate hearings to reduce the number of people in the room and reduce risks of COVID-19 exposure.
He said the courtroom at the Nova Centre in downtown Halifax has been purpose-built for the process, as the accused each have their own lawyer and there is also space created for the public to observe with social distancing between seating.
He said the trial before a judge alone will begin Wednesday with the prosecution calling witnesses.
Eight other inmates are facing the same charges in a trial set for later this fall.
Woodburn said a 15th inmate, Sophon Sek, is facing the same charges but will have a separate trial.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'