OTTAWA –
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Leach has again asked to be released from jail after a magistrate denied her bail earlier this month.
After being charged with violating her bail conditions, Leach was ordered to remain in custody to await trial for her role in the protest that paralyzed downtown Ottawa in February.
She was ordered not to communicate with key organizers of the convoy except through a lawyer or in the presence of a lawyer, but was re-arrested after she had contact with fellow protest leader Tom Marrazzo at a gala in Toronto last month.
In court Monday, her lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, argued that the two organizers did nothing more than shake hands and pose for a photo at the gala.
Marazzo is also a leader of a group called Veterans 4 Freedom, which organized several rallies in Ottawa over the Canada Day weekend.
Leach faces charges of abuse, obstructing police, advising others to do evil and intimidation for her role in the mass protest against COVID-19 restrictions and the Liberal government.
Breach of warranty was recently added to the list.
Leach appeared in court in person, hands neatly in his lap as he sat in the prison box of the Ottawa courtroom.
She has now spent 48 days in jail while waiting to answer to non-violent charges, Greenspon said. He added that she could spend more time in pretrial custody than she would ultimately have to serve if convicted.
“We ask your honor to put an end to this injustice,” Greenspoon told Judge Andrew Goodman at the end of the defense’s arguments.
Crown attorney Moise Karimji disagreed, saying there was the potential for Leach to serve a lengthy prison sentence for his role in the Ottawa traffic jams.
Judge Goodman challenged the Crown on whether he had found a case of mischief approaching the maximum sentence of 10 years.
“The answer to that is no, because there has never been an occupation of a city, the capital of Canada, for three weeks,” Karimji said. “If not in a situation like this, then what other situation?”
It was the fifth time Leach has been in court to push for her release from jail while awaiting trial.
The organizer of the convoy was initially arrested and charged in February, a day before police intervened to remove the three-week protest from the streets of Ottawa.
She was released the following month with a long list of conditions, including a ban on using all social media.
This is the second time the Crown has alleged she has breached those conditions. The first time, the judge not only allowed her to stay out of jail, but also allowed her to return to Ontario to attend the awards gala, where Leach was the guest of honor.
At the Toronto event, Leach received a “Freedom Award” from the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms in recognition of her leadership role during the convoy.
After Leach was caught on video with Marazzo, police sought a Canada-wide warrant for the alleged violation of her bail conditions. She was arrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alta.
The Crown told the court on Monday that the case was not about politics.
“It’s not about the views one holds, whether we believe in vaccination or not,” Karimji said. “It’s about the rule of law.
A trial date for Leach has not been set.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 25, 2022.
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