Blackmore believes his actions were lawful, so he can’t possibly have the intent to commit a crime,” Suffredine said. Suffredine argued on Wednesday that Blackmore’s unions were never legal marriages, but common-law relationships sanctioned by Blackmore’s religious beliefs, which carry no legal weight. Related: Winston Blackmore and James Oler found guilty of polygamy in landmark B.C. The convictions have not be entered pending the outcome of the constitutional arguments. If he is convicted, Blackmore is asking for an absolute discharge. His co-accused, James Oler, was found guilty of having five wives.īlackmore is asking for a stay of the proceedings and an exemption from prosecution based on his religious beliefs. Related: Winston Blackmore’s appeal of polygamy charge underwayīlackmore, a leader in the small community, was found guilty earlier this year of one count of polygamy after the court heard he had married 24 women, including three who were 15 years old at the time. The statement followed an RCMP investigation in Bountiful, B.C., where the court has heard residents follow the tenants of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a sect that condones plural or “celestial” marriage. Blackmore, can rely on,” Suffredine said. “His statement, that this is the law and this is what we will enforce and this is what we won’t enforce … is a clear statement that everyone in British Columbia, including Mr. Supreme Court in Cranbrook on Wednesday, arguing that a provincial attorney general in the early 1990s issued a statement that said charging an individual with polygamy would breach their charter rights. Winston Blackmore’s attorney, Blaire Suffredine, was in B.C. The lawyer for a British Columbia man found guilty of marrying two dozen women says his client believed he could not be prosecuted for polygamy.
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