Suspended Saint John lawyer Rod Gillis will be sentenced June 20th in Bathurst for attempting to obstruct justice.
A
sentencing hearing was held in Moncton where the legal arguments were
made before Judge Irwin Lampert who found the 66 year old Gillis guilty
back in January.
Prosecutor
Peter Craig is recommending a prison term from 30 to 36 months for what
he calls breach of trust by a member of the bar and officer of the
court.
The defense is asking for a conditional sentence that would be served in the community.
Gillis
was charged in connection with how he represented former Liberal M-L-A
and House Speaker Frank Branch in his legal battle with the North Shore
Forest Products Marketing Board which included both a criminal
prosecution and civil lawsuit. Branch was charged with fraud and
extortion. He eventually pleaded guilty to fraud over 5 thousand dollars
and was sentenced to house arrest as well as ordered to pay
restitution.
Gillis has represented St. Stephen's Chief Administrative Officer John Ferguson during his long battle with the Saint john Pension Board.
Since
parole is a federal responsibility, it's no wonder Saint John M-P Rodney Weston is
hearing a lot of concern about the release of John O'Brien, the so-called
motorcycle rapist to a halfway house in the city.
Weston says
the concerns expressed to him about John O'Brien are mainly about the
nature of his crimes and his risk of re-offending which is described by
Police Chief Bill Reid as moderate. He concedes it doesn't make him feel
good as an M-P to hear the concerns and worry from his constituents.
The concerns voiced to Weston are being passed along to the federal minister of Public Safety.
Weston
tells Tide News he even considered introducing a private member's bill
to deal with the issue but points out statutory release is a fact of the
Canadian judicial system unless you're deemed a dangerous offender.
If you've ever been the victim of a crime, you know how traumatic the experience can be.
It's the
job of Victim Services to ensure people feel heard throughout the
judicial process. Martin Ellen Martin of Victim Services tells Tide News
they rely on highly trained volunteers to deal with the fallout from a
wide range of crimes from assaults to murders, sudden deaths, and
thefts.
Martin
says the most common call they get is when someone has unexpectedly
died, and they have to counsel family members and others.
For more information on Victim Services including how you can volunteer, click here
