Sovereignty Group Charges Withdrawn

The six members of the sovereignty group who unlawfully entered a property on Kennisis Lake Road on November 10th walked free from court on Wednesday 3rd February. The six adults; Victor Beck, Alexandre Nault, Yakim Belair, William Russ, Diann Turkington and Doug Baskin were due in court on February 10th for their trial. February 3rd marked the date of a status hearing where both sides would normally confirm that they were prepared for the upcoming trial. Only three of the six members; Beck, Nault and Belair entered the court room and were without
representation. After a meeting with Crown Attorney Jennifer Broderick,
Beck pled guilty to a lesser charge of mischief under $5,000 and a joint submission was made before her worship, Judge K.E Johnston, that Beck receive an absolute discharge. The remaining individuals would have the charges against them
withdrawn. An absolute discharge means that Beck will not have a criminal record stemming from the incident and is free to go. Broderick expressed to the open court and Judge Johnston that the group “clearly violated property rights. The crown recognises that the intention all along was to make a political statement which impacted on the community.” She further stated that “the entire O.P.P. Minden detachment and officers from the City of Kawartha Lakes were dispatched to the incident on November 10th which put residents at risk.”
Other than Beck, the five other involved individuals had no previous criminal record. They all spent time in jail following their arrests on November 10th, ranging in length of time from two to three days per person. A normal penalty for unlawfully being in a dwelling without a criminal record would not necessarily lead to jail time.
Beck stated, before the open court, “We didn’t do it to injure anyone or damage property. It was a spiritual thing. We make no excuses for our actions. It won’t be happening again. A couple of days in jail is great experience in hindsight.” Beck apologised to the court, the police and all parties concerned.
Broderick closed by saying “Jail time was already achieved. Beck and the group realised that the manner in which they conducted themselves on November 10th wasn’t the right way to express their views.” Broderick was satisfied that the group wouldn’t commit the offence again and that they posed no risk to the property owners now or in the future. Judge Johnston, after noting the facts, spoke to Beck saying: “I think it goes without saying that if you want to express certain views, you are far less likely to achieve results if you are breaking into someone else’s house.” Judge Johnston granted the absolute discharge to Beck and all other charges against the group were withdrawn.