The couple who planted pressure cooker bombs on the lawn of the B.C. Legislature on Canada Day 2013 is free to go, after the BC Court of Appeal upheld a ruling that stayed proceedings against them and said police had B次元官网网址減ushedB次元官网网址� the pair to commit the crime.
In a stinging decision on Wednesday, Justice Elizabeth Bennett said the RCMP B次元官网网址渄id everything necessary to facilitateB次元官网网址� John Nuttall and Amanda KorodyB次元官网网址檚 plans when they provided them with explosive material they could not have gotten on their own.
Bennett said police B次元官网网址渨ent far beyond investigatingB次元官网网址� when they B次元官网网址渕anufacturedB次元官网网址� the bomb plot.
B次元官网网址淚 therefore agreeB次元官网网址� that the overall conduct of this investigation was a travesty of justice,B次元官网网址� Bennett wrote in a 142-page decision.
The decision upheld part of a 2016 ruling from B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bruce that stayed proceedings against Nuttall and Korody, after they accused the RCMP of entrapment. Crown counsel appealed the stay earlier this year.
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Nuttall and Korody, who lived in Surrey, first came to the authoritiesB次元官网网址� attention on suspicions of terrorism in 2012. Nuttall had a long unrelated rap sheet of assault, kidnapping and robbery convictions. He also had a drug dependency and mental health issues.
The two had recently converted to Islam, and Nuttall was known in the community for B次元官网网址渆spousing violent jihadist views.B次元官网网址�
In early 2013, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service told police Nuttall was a threat to national security and that he had tried to buy materials to make explosives, although investigators were unable to corroborate the claim.
RCMP began an undercover sting to determine if Nuttall and Korody were a threat. Numerous officers played the part of agents in a terrorist investigation.
As soon as Nuttall expressed interest in jihad after seeing a QurB次元官网网址檃n in the back seat of an officerB次元官网网址檚 car, police began exploring terror plots with the couple to see whether they would pursue one on their own.
Eventually, the police, Nuttall and Korody settled on pressure cooker bombs targeting the B.C. Legislature on Canada Day 2013.
With help from RCMP officers, the couple prepared the bombs and dropped them off on the lawn of the legislature. Police provided the explosive C-4, as well as fake detonators.
The bombs did not go off and Nuttall and Korody were arrested shortly after and were eventually convicted of conspiracy, possessing an explosive substance, and placing an explosive in a public place on behalf of a terror group in 2015.
In her ruling Wednesday, Bennett agreed with BruceB次元官网网址檚 decision that the RCMPB次元官网网址檚 conduct was an B次元官网网址渁buse of process.B次元官网网址�
Bennett said police frequently infiltrate terrorist groups as part of their investigations, but they cannot do whatever they want to investigate a crime.
The RCMP eventually knew the couple had little to no ability to commit an act of terror, she said, and only carried out the bomb plot after police B次元官网网址減ushed and pushed and pushedB次元官网网址� them.
Bennett did not agree with two parts of the lower court ruling. She said police did have B次元官网网址渞easonable suspicionB次元官网网址� to investigate given NuttallB次元官网网址檚 extremist views and past criminal history, and that an average person would not have done what Nuttall and Korody did, as police gave them 36 opportunities to back out.
B次元官网网址淭he ruling upheld our viewsB次元官网网址�. that this was entrapment and police-manufactured crime,B次元官网网址� NuttallB次元官网网址檚 lawyer Marilyn Sandford said. B次元官网网址淎 court has drawn a line that these types of American-style sting operations are not going to be tolerated here.B次元官网网址�
KorodyB次元官网网址檚 lawyer, Scott Wright, said the couple were B次元官网网址渧ery relievedB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渉oping to move on with life as much as possible.B次元官网网址�
Their next court date is scheduled for Jan. 7 for a Crown-requested peace bond.
Crown counsel said it would be B次元官网网址渞eviewing the decision.B次元官网网址� They declined to comment further but has 60 days to appeal.
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