Winnipeg Free Press

Winninpeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 25, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free june 2004 a3 Iker Case collapses Case history Marc free press supporters of the freed Hells Angels associates gesture As they pose for pictures during a Celebration in front of the Law courts building bikers continued from Page a1 they May now consider Legal action against the Manitoba government on the grounds they were wrongfully said lawyer Jay right now they just want to Savour the but they will certainly be looking at their said stretch Limos whisked four of the Bik Ian Dale Sean Wolfe and Harold from the remand Centre where they had been held for More than two All had been denied several Hells Angels members in full colours raced to the scene on their Harley joining a throng of family and Grant was going Home with his to see his two a Friend of Grants told the free a fifth accused Ralph Junior Moar will be released next month after he finishes a sentence at Stony Mountain Mackintosh said he was profoundly disappointed in the collapse of the but dismissed any Call for him to step calling the move nothing More than political there Are probably two forces in Manitoba that would like to have a res ignation that is organized crime in this province and the second is the official said Mackintosh Laid much of the blame for the collapse of the Case at the feet of the Federal he noted an organized crime me atrial in Alberta suffered a similar Fate recently when 11 accused gang members walked free after the Case fell the fight against organized crime is a minefield and unfortunately Many of those mines Are planted by the Federal Laws he we have an archaic criminal code in this which is out of touch with the harsh realities of prosecuting organized the Crown said yesterday the collapse of the Case rests entirely on the Shoul Ders of coquette entered the witness Protection program in 2002 and has been paid More than for his cooperation with Justice he was originally arrested on Many of the same but struck an immunity Deal in Exchange for his coquette whom the Crown referred to yesterday As the Cornerstone of its Case gave police detailed information about the shootings of rival drug gangs and charges of conspiracy to commit according to coquette has grown increasingly frustrated with the accusing City Marc free full Patch Hells Angel Shane Kirton joins in on the bikers police of making tricking him into giving lying about plea bargains and ruining him Finan Winnipeg police began investigating Coque Tes concerns last but the informants anger has Only intensified in recent weeks As the internal police probe the situation changed on june 3 when in a Telephone coquette for the first time made certain demands in Exchange for his Bell said these demands related to a Lack of fulfilment of the promises allegedly made to him by members of the Winnipeg police it became apparent that his willingness to testify was linked to his thereby raising concerns about his Bell told court he met coquette last where the informant repeated his at no time during the meeting did he indicate anything he had told the police was a it became Clear we could no longer count on the Complete cooperation of our essential said his evidence is essential on virtually All if he is not completely co the strength of our Case is greatly Bell consulted senior Crown counsel and determined it was unsafe to proceed with the defence lawyers yesterday accused the province of quitting the Case Only when faced with having to disclose fur ther information on allegations of police misconduct involving treatment of an senior Crown prosecutor Bob Morri son sent a mysterious letter earlier this year to All lawyers involved in the Wayne Lowacki free press Grant and get into one of the four waiting the Rise and fall of the Case against the Hells Angels december 2001 the former los bravos motorcycle gang receives full status As a Hells Angels chapter in following several years of negotiations and april 2002 four associates of the Hells Angels Are arrested in a series of firebomb extortion attempts and witness and police one of those arrested is Robert Sousa who would later agree to become a Crown eventually nine men Are although charges Are stayed against four of leaving Only Harold Sean Ralph Ian Grant and gang member Dale Donovan to face july 2002 Manitoba Justice says it May use new Federal gang busting legislation for the first time against the gang members in a giant August 2002 the accused say they Are considering Legal action against police and Justice officials for malicious pros ecu january 2003 the Crown says it is considering a direct indictment against paving the Way for the massive gang 2003 the Crown officially charges Grant and charges Are later stayed against four other much of the evidence against them had been supplied by coquette and through More than phone 2003 defence lawyers say the Mega trial May have to be delayed because of ongoing Legal issues and questions about 2003 the province offers million to five defence but they reject saying its not nearly 2003 the free press reveals the ramp have paid coquette a Fig ure that was growing by a for his its also revealed that a second biker Arthur signed a similar Deal with the ramp to receive Protection and financial assistance in Exchange for his 2003 lawyers for the accused men quit the saying they we rent being paid enough 2003 the five lawyers return to the Case following a mediated 2004 a senior Manitoba prosecutor says Winnipeg police May have committed criminal acts when dealing with a confidential informant involved in the april 2003 Manitoba Justice attempts to use 11 antiterrorism Legisla Tion to withhold potentially explosive information that could cause the High profile Case to the Federal legislation is repealed later by april 2004 the informants in the Case allege they were threatened and tricked into making May 2004 the province says it plans to hire extra sheriffs officers and court workers and expand its prosecutions office to handle the june 2004 the Case collapses after the Crown says one of its key witnesses is Marc free Ian Grant in glasses is set saying a review of evidence had revealed City police May have commit Ted criminal breached the or breached their ethical responsibilities in dealing with a confidential info he declined to provide further info citing informer privilege and defence lawyers filed a motion for further and the Issue was set to be argued yesterday before Queens Bench Justice Holly but the Crown surprised everyone in court by announcing the stay of proceedings before the hearing could i wish to emphasize that the informer privilege Issue and the allegations of police misconduct play no role in the Bell told court while Reading a prepared Marc free Harold Amos receives a Ewaski said yesterday Coque Tes change heart is puzzling and will be further investigated by his this is a turn in this process that nobody was he Deputy attorney general Rob Fin Layson said his department will review whether criminal charges should be reinstated against coquette on the grounds he didst fulfil his part of the the stay of proceedings Means fur ther information about Morrison let Ter will Likely remain we were legally obliged to resist Dis closure of the details of the incident because there is no doubt it would com Promise the identity of the Bell told the Law recognizes the value of informers to the investigation of crime Marc free Sean Wolfe walks away from and recognizes that being an informer carries with it the risk of retribution from those involved in criminal that is particularly True in this the tory Justice said yesterday Mackintosh erred when he agreed Early on to proceed by Way of a direct removing the need for a preliminary hearing before the Case went to trial if they had a preliminary the strength of the evidence would have been assessed and there would have been no need to spend millions of Dol Lars on this Over the last few he o r with files from Jason Leah Janzen and Bruce Owen Justice officials burned before in gang trials when you make a Deal with the you often get Manitoba Justice officials have again Learned this lesson the hard with another High profile Hells Angels trial going up in yesterdays sudden collapse of the Case against five biker associates int surprising if his tory is indeed the Best it was Only two years ago that a judge lambasted the Crown and police for striking a number nge for his testimony against the you will triggered a wave of summer violence when he shot full Patch biker Rod Sweeney in the head while the mans Young son sat beside Sweeney and the Hells Angels began searching the City to exact revenge on a series of f ire bombings and drive by shootings Manitoba Justice Cut a Deal with Sylvester in which he pleaded guilty to shooting Sweeney and was Given a two year jail term and Entrance into the witness Protection program in Exchange for his provincial court judge Charles new Combe said he was holding his nose at the Stinky the move backfired when Queens Justice Perry Schulman completely discredited sylvesters testimony and acquitted a Hells Angels Mem Ber of attempted Schulman accused police of using Tunnel vision to build their attempted murder while the Crown was chastised for striking a controversial Deal with his alleged i have found his evidence to be i place no Reliance whatever on his Schulman said at the the Crown entered into an agreement with which provided him with a wonderful Benefit even though he provided police with no information other than that which they believed they Manitoba Justice also has a Check ered past when it comes to so called the provinces most expensive trial of came to an abrupt end in the summer of 2000 after 35 Street gang members ended a 20month Legal Saga and pleaded guilty to reduced drug Gord who was nip jus Tice critic at the criticized the tories for building a multimillion Dol Lar courthouse in fort Garry which was never fully Mackintosh called the building a White the nearly Case collapsed when the trial judge ruled a jury could reasonably handle a trial of Only about eight accused and planned to break the main trial in half had it one of the longest jury trials in Manitoba history collapsed in the Spring of 2002 with guilty pleas from four alleged killers to lesser the Young tied to a native Street were charged in the May death of Winnipeg teen Bruyere at Mcphillips Street and Selkirk following nearly three months of Legal headaches which included sever Al reluctant recantation and a dozen jurors were set free to resume their the trial was riddled with problems from Day beginning with jury Selec which had to be done at the Winnipeg convention Centre instead of the downtown those selected to jury duty were subjected to numerous which included two different mistrial motions filed by defence two key Crown witnesses were also charged with contempt of court during the trial for refusing to other witnesses contradicted previous Testi or each i 3 ;