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Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Judge delivers not guilty verdict in dog beating case
Man OK on scene after Maple Bay plane crash
Harrison case: Gouge calls main witnesses unreliable, acquits on all four counts
Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
Kathy Santini
News Leader Pictorial
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man accused of beating his dog, and uttering threats to the people who allegedly witnessed it, was acquitted on all four counts. Brandon Scott Harrison, 26, was charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, abusing an animal, and criminal harassment. In his ruling Aug. 22, Judge Ted Gouge said the two main witnesses’ testimony, Chris and Leigh Davies were unreliable. He criticized them further for the “name and shame,” aspect of a Facebook campaign they mounted in the wake of the incident, saying it displayed poor taste and judgment. “I do not consider Mr. or Ms. Davies to be reliable witnesses, and would not convict Mr. Harrison of any offence on the basis of their evidence,” Gouge says in his written decision. He says the testimony of a second witness, Shelby Harding, did not suffer from the same deficiencies, but was not enough to justify a conviction. “The evidence of Mr. Harrison would have raised a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, and I would have acquitted him because of that doubt.” In the judge’s ruling, he states Chris posted a drawing of an electric chair on his Facebook page adding the caption: “saved a seat, just for you.” On another occasion, someone — not the Davies — posted a comment, to the effect the appropriate response to Harrison’s conduct would be to, “beat the Andrew Leong crap out of him with his hands tied behind him, then Brandon Harrison holds his pet French bulldog Rufus during a press conference held yesterday in the aftermath of Harrison’s acquittal let him rot.” Leigh signified her approval by clicking on charges he had abused the dog. on the ‘like,” icon on the Facebook page. Gouge wrote that by liking the page, Leigh publicly animal-protection statutes are inadequate and saw an sued it and pushed back against a lackluster attitude expressed her support for an act of vigilante violence. opportunity from the incident to stir up public support from the authorities that we thought were there to help Chris, he wrote, sought to explain his posting as, this poor dog and us, as witnesses,” they wrote in an “dark, British humour,” adding he appears to be blind for their views. “If exaggeration would serve their purpose, as it email. to the risk that others, including some people with se“On the upside we hope that this event still sends a rious mental illnesses, may fail to see the humour and clearly would in this case, they are quite willing to exaggerate,” he wrote. “For that reason, I conclude that their clear message that animal abuse is not OK. Animals may be impelled to violent action by his posting. evidence is unreliable.” are sentient beings and the laws need to change to “The conduct of Mr. and Mrs. Davies in relation to Limited Upon hearing the ruling, the Davies said they were reflect that and offer more protection.” those two postings are grossly irresponsible,” he wrote. Time Only: disappointed with the outcome, but their campaign, At a press conference held Tuesday by defense lawyer Gouge added the Facebook campaign itself estabTablet Share for Seth A. Cooper, where Harrison interacted with his lishes a motive for the Davies to exaggerate Harrison’s www.terryslaw.ca to change the animal-cruelty laws in Canada will continue. dog, the accused said he was happy with the decision. conduct. more on page 4 The Davies, he said, passionately believe the existing per month “From the outset of this we were the ones who pur-
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he pilot of a Cessna that crashed in Maple Bay Tuesday morning was unhurt. The pilot, who said he lives outside the Cowichan Valley, declined to comment about why his plane went down south of Paddy’s Mile Stone at around 10:30 a.m. in sunny, calm weather. The pilot, believed to be in his 60s, was the aircraft’s lone passenger. He appeared unhurt on the scene, after emergency personnel had expressed concerns about the possibility of shock. “I didn’t crash into the water. I don’t want to talk about it right now,” he told the News Leader Pictorial before being taken by Border Patrol boat to the Maple Bay Yacht Club. His plane was towed by a border patrol boat to the bay’s government dock where officials were deciding at press time how to right the craft, then haul it from the bay. Unconfirmed reports indicated a pleasure craft had initially responded to the situation. RCMP declined to give details of the wreck, outside of the approximate site of the crash. It was initially believed the crash happened off Arbutus Point, off Bayview Road.
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