I am in courtroom 20 at the Vancouver Law Courts for the start of the #JamieBacon trial. Bacon is charged with one count of counselling someone to commit murder in connection with a 2008 shooting that targeted a former associate. The target survived the shooting.
Lots of bans in place at this JURY trial so please don't ask me questions related to things you think you know about Bacon or the associate as I won't be able to answer them. #jamiebacon trial
Jury still hasn't been brought in as Bacon's lawyer Kimberly Eldred and Crown Joe Bellows clear up some last-minute pre-trial issues.
Bacon looks very fit. He is wearing a navy sweater and dark pants.
So many memories of Courtroom 20 - built for the 2003 Air India terrorism trial and since home to many big cases involving the Hells Angels, the Greeks gang and other criminal organizations. It was once described by the late Christie Blatchford as resembling a bad basement reno.
Jury is in the courtroom. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge is introducing the lawyers on both sides to the 12-person jury.
A frustrating aside is that the court registry would not give some of the media here a copy of the BANS ON PUBLICATION. They referred them to the court website, which references bans, but has no details, including the actual names that are covered by the ban!!
I have a copy of the bans in place so have tried to help my colleagues even though it is not my job to do so. #Vancouverlawcourts need to do better. If our courts want bans followed, they need to give accredited media the information.
Justice Wedge is explaining basic rules of evidence to the jury.
She explains that Bacon is charged with counselling someone who can only be identified as CD to murder Dennis Karbovanec.
Crown Keith Boland now giving the opening to the jury. Cautions that it is not evidence, but a summary of the expected prosecution case.
Boland says the two key Crown witnesses, AB and CD, worked in the drug trade with #jamiebacon back in 2008 and 2009. He said the jury will have to access the credibility of the two men.
He said the plot to kill Dennis Karbovanec was discussed in the weeks before the Dec. 31, 2008 shooting. Bacon first asked AB to do it, but he didn't want to. So CD was approached as he owed Bacon a lot of money for drugs, Boland said.
The shooting took place just after 10 am at the end of Bench Avenue, on a cul-de-sac.
"AB was to lure Mr. Karbovanec out on the evening of Dec. 31," Boland said of AB's anticipated evidence. The ruse was they were all going to do a "grow rip" in Mission and first met at a local sports park.
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