RCMP diverted attention from errors made during mass shooting investigation: lawsuit
The spouse of the man responsible for the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history says she was charged with supplying ammunition to the killer because the RCMP wanted to deflect attention from mistakes made during their investigation.
In a lawsuit filed Oct. 21 in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, Lisa Banfield accuses the RCMP and the province's Public Prosecution Service of conspiring to stage a malicious prosecution that led to a "trumped-up charge" filed on Dec. 4, 2020.
"(The) Nova Scotia RCMP instigated a baseless investigation into the plaintiff's involvement in the events of April 18-19, 2020 in an effort to draw attention away from the errors committed by the ... RCMP in their response to the (killings)," the lawsuit alleges.
The allegations have not been tested in court. The federal and provincial attorneys general -- both of whom are named in the suit -- could not be immediately reached for comment.
The statement of claim, filed in the courthouse in Amherst, N.S., goes on to allege the charge against Banfield was intended to create the appearance that the RCMP were doing something after a federal-provincial inquiry was established in July 2020.
As well, Banfield alleges the RCMP failed to inform her of her right to have a lawyer present when she provided recorded statements to the Mounties and later walked them through her actions on the night the killing started in Portapique, N.S.
The document concludes by arguing the charge was unlawful because the Mounties and the Crown failed to recognize that Banfield's partner, denture-maker Gabriel Wortman, had subjected her to life-threatening violence throughout their relationship.
"(The) actions of the Nova Scotia RCMP and the (Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service) ... were a blatant and callous disregard of the plaintiff's rights," the lawsuit says.
According to the suit, the RCMP had assured Banfield she was "being viewed solely as a victim" early in their investigation.
And when RCMP first announced charges against Banfield, her brother and brother-in-law, investigators acknowledged the three had no knowledge of what the gunman would do. They were charged with giving the killer .223-calibre Remington cartridges and .40-calibre Smith and Wesson cartridges. All charges were withdrawn by the Crown after the trio took part in a restorative justice program.
The public inquiry, which wrapped up public hearings in September, heard that on the night of April 18, 2020, Wortman beat Banfield and fired gunshots at her before she was handcuffed and shoved in the back of a car that he had modified to look exactly like a marked RCMP cruiser.
Banfield managed to escape and hid in a nearby wooded lot in Portapique, before she fled to a neighbour's home, where police were called at dawn.
The gunman fatally shot 13 people in Portapique before fleeing the rural enclave around 10:45 p.m. After spending the night in nearby Debert, N.S., he killed another nine people while leading police on a chase that spanned more than 100 kilometres across northern and central Nova Scotia. After 13 hours at large, he was shot to death by a Mountie when he stopped at a gas station north of Halifax.
Banfield was interviewed by RCMP investigators on April 19, 20 and 28 -- but she was never told she could have a lawyer with her, the lawsuit alleges.
During a news conference on April 28, 2020, RCMP Supt. Darren Campbell described Banfield as the "first victim," and he emphasized that she did not have anything to do with the killer's actions, the document says.
The lawsuit says the inquiry, which started hearings in February 2022, "placed intense pressure on the Nova Scotia RCMP as it threatened to expose errors committed" by the Mounties. That pressure prompted the RCMP to launch a prosecution that caused Banfield to "suffer significant losses for which she claims general and special damages." The amount of damages sought is not specified.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.