During a kidnapping trial, the court made three key rulings.
First, the court found an air of reality to both principal and aider modes of participation, leaving both for the jury with a Thatcher instruction.
Second, the court ruled that while the accused's wife was a compellable witness under the amended Canada Evidence Act, her text messages to the accused were inadmissible due to spousal privilege and irrelevance.
Third, the court found an air of reality to the defence of duress, specifically regarding whether the accused had a safe avenue of escape, and left the defence for the jury's consideration.
The jury ultimately returned a guilty verdict.
