Chris Barber and Tamara Lich have found themselves No guilty of most of the charges against him for his roles in the protest of convoy of trucks 2022 in Ottawa.
Barber and Lich faced six positions, such as mischief, intimidation, police obstruction and advising others who do the same.
On Thursday at the Ottawa court, the judge of the Ontario Court, Heather Perkins,Mcvey He found that the couple is not guilty of four positions each related to the intimidation and obstruction of the police.
Both were declared guilty of committing mischief. Perkins-Mcvey also found them both guilty of advice to commit pranks, but that finding was suspended at the request of the Crown’s lawyers.
Only Barber was convicted of advising others to disobey a court order. Lich was not accused of this.
In total, Barber was declared guilty of two positions, not guilty of four and had a seventh stay. Lich was convicted of one, not guilty of four and was sixth.
In his ruling, Perkins-Mcvey said the protesters had the right to political expression, but ruled that they crossed legal lines. The decision focused on the specific actions and statements made by Lich and Barber to encourage the ongoing protests that were affecting the city.
Crown prosecutors have indicated that they would look for time in jail; The maximum penalty for the mischief is ten years. The two are expected to be sentenced at the end of this year.
The trial covered more than a year
In January and February 2022, Barber and Lich led thousands of people and brought trucks to Ottawa, protesting pandemic mandates and other federal liberal government policies.
The protests, which the organizers called the convoy of freedom, led to significant interruptions, which led to the federal government to Invoke the Emergency Law For the first time in Canadian history. If invoking the law was legal, it is still being litigated.
Pat King and other prominent figures in the protests were found guilty for similar charges.
Both Barber and Lich declared themselves innocent of all charges. The trial began in September 2023 and concluded in September 2024.
Lich told CBC News last year that he would appeal a guilty decision.
