Jaggi Singh is claiming the whole of the evidence for his defence

Archival photograph of Stevens LeBlanc
Stopped at the margin of the events of 20 August, the militant anarchist claims to have a right of access to all the evidence in the record.

Pierre-Paul Biron

Friday, 19 January 2018 16:48

UPDATE
Friday, 19 January 2018 16:54

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The militant anarchist Jaggi Singh continued Friday its crusade to obtain from the Crown the whole of the evidence surrounding the events of August 20, 2017, during which it was arrested for fraud and impersonation.

During a advocacy of more than three hours in the morning and cooking and hold the investigator responsible for the file in the afternoon, the protester accused of pretending to be the former Nordique Michel Goulet defended his vision of the disclosure of the evidence. According to him, the Crown must provide him with everything surrounding the events of August 20, rather than the events that are strictly related to his arrest. It was filed in the municipal Court a request for 37 points in this direction.

“I have to have access to all related documents to prepare my defence and my advocacy. Who knows, I might plead guilty, it is in the interest of the Crown to give me the proof “, he started, citing the Stinchcombe decision of the supreme Court.

The Crown prosecutor, ms. Marie-Hélène Guillemette, opposed it firmly to the filing of certain elements, including audio and video tapes complete the intervention. “I will continue to oppose because the protests have lasted for four hours and the arrest of Mr. Singh, for 10 minutes. “

Security Question

The Crown has been witness to the investigator in charge of the dossier, lieutenant-detective Stéphane Noël, to demonstrate the merits of its opposition to the application of Jaggi Singh. According to the investigator, the disclosure of such evidence would pose a risk to the police officers at future demonstrations.

“It would reveal some of the tactics of labour and the functioning of the MRO Unit (maintenance and re-establishment of the order). It would care when the upcoming events of groups that would be in altercation with the police. They could anticipate our maneuvers and endanger our members, ” said the investigator Christmas.

Despite these arguments, Jaggi Singh continues to believe that his arrest and the entire event can be studied separately. He intends to prove that his arrest was not justified. “The procedures are likely to abuse, but I need the evidence to prove it,” said the accused.

Little progress

Despite long procedures throughout the day of Friday, the pleadings of both parties with regard to the request for disclosure of the evidence could not be completed. Jaggi Singh will be back in court on march 1st to continue this preliminary stage. By then, the Crown and the defence have agreed to discuss parts that have already discounts and the possibility of revealing other parts at the request of the judge Pierre Bordeleau, question to advance the case more quickly.

Reacting to the deadline now five months since his arrest, Jaggi Singh has said that it is not him who had made the choice to launch this series of procedures, but ” the mayor, the Crown and the police “.

“I’m sure they regret today to have me arrested because I’m doing this, but I am right to do this. […] This whole thing would not have happened if we had let it go, if it had been a contravention, as it was in the beginning [the day of the event]. But people have chosen to make it a big deal, ” pleaded Jaggi Singh before the court.