The primary witness within the prison trial of suspended Ottawa defence lawyer James Bowie has testified that he “descended into insanity” and have become “obsessed” with an ex-client who accused him of extortion in late 2022, to the purpose of asking for a gun to “take care” of her.
At that time, courtroom heard Bowie was being investigated by the Regulation Society of Ontario, and that he was the topic of media protection about his ex-client Leanne Aubin’s allegations that he provided her his authorized companies in alternate for oral intercourse.
Bowie, 41, has pleaded not responsible to harassing the Crown’s first witness within the case and making an attempt to get her to acquire a firearm for him, in addition to extorting Aubin and threatening to kill her.
The primary witness can’t be recognized as a result of a publication ban. A ban on figuring out Aubin was beforehand lifted at her’s request.
The trial earlier than out-of-town Ontario Court docket Justice Paul Cooper started in September however sat for less than at some point. It needed to be adjourned to Tuesday due to points unrelated to the case.
‘He thought he had dust on me’
Bowie and the primary witness had been associates who met on-line in 2020 and beginning hanging out greater than traditional in December 2022. Bowie was embroiled in controversy, and the witness was having immigration points she needed recommendation about, she testified.
In late February 2023 they met at a bar, the place Bowie repeatedly prompt that they assist one another with their issues and “would not take no for a solution,” she testified beneath examination in chief by assistant Crown lawyer Kerry Watson in September.
Bowie provided her cash and work beneath the desk. She declined as a result of she did not wish to be indebted to him or put herself in jeopardy, she testified.
He additionally advised her he “is aware of individuals I can do intercourse work for.” He mentioned he knew she was weak, and that he would inform her boyfriend she did intercourse work prior to now — one thing she’d beforehand confided to Bowie, the witness testified.
“I used to be the one particular person left by him, and he thought he had dust on me with the intercourse work, that I’d adjust to what he was asking,” she advised courtroom.
‘She’s out to get me’
Bowie advised the witness he needed a gun for “somebody or himself to maintain [Aubin],” she mentioned.
“I want this to be over with. I’ll lose my life … my licence .. the whole lot. She needs me buried. She’s out to get me. She needs me lifeless. I want her gone,” the witness testified Bowie advised her about Aubin.
The witness was shocked and advised him she did not need any a part of it. After the assembly, she felt scared.
“Up till this level I’ve by no means seen [Bowie] turn out to be unhinged. And seeing somebody that I used to personally and professionally respect … turn out to be wicked and talking about desirous to commit against the law, it was a thoughts f–k to me,” she testified.
She stopped responding to his calls and messages.
Discovered monitoring and GPS units on her automobile
On April 2, 2023, she mentioned she noticed Bowie exterior a grocery store, ducked so he could not see her, then drove to a different grocery store utilizing an unconventional route. When she completed buying on the subsequent location, she as soon as once more noticed Bowie within the car parking zone and he advised her they needed to speak.
They’d a dialog in her automobile by which she “pinky promised” to remain in contact to appease him, she testified. When she received residence she noticed him once more in a close-by church car parking zone.
Suspecting he’d in some way been monitoring her, she went to her automobile and located a monitoring machine inside a wheel properly. She mentioned she texted him and he admitted it was his.
Afterward he “consistently” bombarded her with texts and threats to which she did not reply, she testified.
Then, on April 17, 2023, she discovered one other GPS machine beneath her automobile. That very same day a former boss advised her somebody had known as asking for details about her utilizing Bowie’s quantity. Additionally that day the witness requested her roommate to name an unknown quantity somebody was harassing her with, and heard Bowie’s voice on the road.
That is when she broke and “lastly” known as the police, she advised courtroom.
Did not assist Bowie, did not have weapons
Beneath cross-examination by Bowie’s defence lawyer, Eric Granger, on Tuesday, the witness rejected solutions that she did cocaine with Bowie; talked about or adopted via with plans to conduct surveillance on individuals who had made complaints about him, together with Aubin; and saved a revolver and a semi-automatic firearm in a storage locker.
She testified she hadn’t been in rehab, and did not lend a good friend of Bowie’s a guide about interview and interrogation strategies as a result of she would not mortgage her books out.
She mentioned Bowie raised the subject of taking his personal life with a gun, however rejected Granger’s suggestion that Bowie solely ever requested for a gun in relation to harming himself. “He is spoken a few gun on multiple event,” she testified.
Granger additionally prompt that through the dialog in her automobile on April 2, Bowie mentioned one thing like: “Hey look, that is getting loopy, I really feel like a loopy particular person, I am undecided what is going on on right here. Do you wish to cease?”
She advised courtroom Bowie by no means mentioned that.
Cross-examination continued Wednesday. The witness denied defence solutions that Bowie had given her one of many monitoring units, and that she had exaggerated Bowie’s harassment to police to get him away from her. She additionally testified she was satisfied Bowie might hurt her, and that her concern of him continues.
Beneath transient re-examination by the Crown, she testified she is adamantly in opposition to medicine and is obligated to take care of good ethical character for work-related causes.
The trial continues.
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