The boss puts the blame on Harding

Photo By Caroline Lepage
Richard Labrie
Accused

Caroline Lepage

Friday, 5 January 2018 20:13

UPDATE
Friday, 5 January 2018 20:13

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SHERBROOKE | The controller railway has not asked Tom Harding if he had secured properly train before it derails and explodes in Lac-Mégantic because he had a full confidence to his long-time colleague.

During his statement Friday, mr. Guy Poupart, who represents Richard Labrie, the former comptroller rail of the MMA accused of 47 negligence criminal causing the death, said that his client could not know that the driver Tom Harding had applied seven hand brakes on the convoy of oil.

Under control

Richard Labrie, who is currently undergoing his trial at the palais de justice de Sherbrooke, manages the rail traffic in the night of 5 to 6 July 2013, when a fire erupted in the chimney of the oil train parked at Nantes.

He has made the telephone follow-up with the individuals involved, who confirmed that everything was under control.

Never Mr. Labrie has not asked to question the foreman of the railway sent on the scene and the driver Tom Harding to ensure that the train was properly secured.

Photo By Caroline Lepage

Tom Harding

This is the main criticism made to Mr. Labrie for by the Crown. Mr. Labrie is co-accused with her ex-colleagues, Tom Harding and John Demaître.

According to Guy Poupart, Richard Labrie was entitled to take for granted that the train had been locked securely by Tom Harding.

He recalled that the train drivers have paraded to the witness have all said that they always applied the number of hand brakes required.

The practice, and even less regulation, did not require the controller to do this check, he recalled.

Great confidence

In addition, Mr. Labrie had a lot of trust in Tom Harding, with whom he worked for about 30 years and was recognized, like him, to be an employee very competent.

“He had no reason to doubt,” argued ms. Poupart.

The telephone conversations of Mr. Labrie, recorded and presented to the court, reveal how he could not conceive that the train of the MMA is “rolled down” and exploded on Megantic. He called this night incendiary of” apocalypse “.

► Monday will be held the pleading of the lawyers representing Thomas Harding.

► The jury could be sequestered as early as Tuesday to decide the fate of the three accused.