Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston told Justice Keith Yamauchi, the judge presiding over the trial, that he and his team did not expect to introduce any other witnesses.
The Coutts Three – Marco Van Huigenbos, Alex Van Herk, and George Janzen – are being charged with mischief over $5,000 by the government for their participation in the 2022 Coutts protest and blockade, a peaceful and civilly disobedient protest that intermittently obstructed traffic at the Coutts-Sweetgrass Canada-U.S. border crossing.
The protest took place concurrently with the Freedom Convoy of the same year, with both demonstrations broadly opposed to the governmentally-imposed edicts, mandates, and orders marketed as “public health” measures to reduce COVID-19 transmission.
Corbett’s emotional demonstration took place as he recalled what he described as a fearful moment experienced by a female RCMP colleague – who was typically assigned to desk duties – sent to the Coutts protest. He said the female officer was intimidated by a large tractor with a blade that was being driven near her. He seemingly cried as he spoke about her fearful communications over police radio at the time.
Corbett has been an RCMP officer for nearly three decades. Many courtroom observers who spoke with Rebel News described his emotional presentation as insincere and disingenuous. His role during the Coutts protest was largely managerial. While at Coutts for most of the demonstration, the three defendants had essentially no interactions with him. Van Huigenos and Van Herk told Rebel News they had seen him once across the approximately two-week protest.
Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston told Justice Keith Yamauchi, the judge presiding over the trial, that he and his team did not expect to introduce any other witnesses. Corbett’s testimony will continue on Friday. He is the prosecution’s fourth witness, following RCMP officers Mark Wielgosz and Greg Tulloch, who worked as police liaisons with the Coutts protesters.
All videos introduced as evidentiary exhibits in the trial, with one exception, were recorded by Rebel News and featured the Rebel News watermark. The Crown did not submit any evidence or exhibits captured by body cams used by police officers at Coutts. None of the three RCMP officer witnesses produced any body cam video or audio to supplement their testimonies. When questioned, they consulted notes – written or dictated – to refresh their memories.
The trial is tentatively scheduled until April 19.