Ottawa convoy protest organizer Pat King is now facing perjury and obstruction of justice charges related to testimony he gave at his bail hearing last week.
King was arrested on Feb. 18 on charges related to his involvement in a three-week protest against COVID-19 restrictions that swept the streets of Ottawa.
He was denied bail on February 25, but King appeared in court on Wednesday to review the bail so that his lawyers could justify his release while awaiting trial.
The next day, the Crown announced it would charge him with perjury and obstruction of justice.
The three allegations of perjury and the three counts of obstruction of justice, as well as the reasons for the allegations, were read aloud by King in court on Tuesday.
Details of the testimony that led to the allegations are protected by a ban on publication.
The latest allegations are in addition to 10 allegations related to King’s involvement in a protest in downtown Ottawa earlier this year.
Previous charges include mischief, intimidation, obstruction of police and disobedience to court orders.
King’s hearing was abruptly halted last Wednesday when it turned out that his lawyer’s computer had been hacked in the middle of the proceedings. Lawyer David Goodman later said the threat was not as serious as previously thought and there were no compromised files.
The hearing was adjourned the next day to give King’s legal team time to process the new allegations, leaving King visibly disappointed with his head in his hands.
He has since recruited a new lawyer to fight for his release and protect him from growing charges.
Ottawa lawyer Natasha Calvinho told the court on Tuesday that she had been detained as King’s full lawyer and asked for some time to review his case.
King will appear in court next week to reschedule the remainder of the bail review hearing.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 19, 2022.
Add Comment