A Beaver Bank man will stand trial next January on a charge of illegally transferring ammunition to the individual who committed Canada’s worst mass shooting almost a year ago.
Lawyer Michelle James entered a not-guilty plea Monday in Dartmouth provincial court on behalf of James Blair Banfield, 65.
Banfield is one of three people accused of supplying ammunition to the shooter in the weeks leading up to the April 18 and 19 rampage, which began in Portapique, Colchester County.
The SaltWire Network is not naming the gunman, a 51-year-old denturist from Dartmouth who drove a replica RCMP cruiser and wore police clothing for much of his 13-hour spree. He killed 22 people and wounded three others before he was shot to death by police at the Irving Big Stop in Enfield.
Judge Jean Whalen scheduled Banfield’s trial for three days beginning Jan. 24, 2022.
Crown attorney Shauna MacDonald estimated a half-day of the trial time will be used for a voir dire on the admissibility of two statements to police.
A pre-trial conference will be held in June.
RCMP announced in December that three people had been charged with providing ammunition to the shooter between March 17 and April 18 of last year.
The ammunition allegedly consisted of .223-calibre Remington cartridges and .40-calibre Smith and Wesson cartridges and was purchased and trafficked in Nova Scotia. RCMP said the accused had no knowledge of the gunman’s plans.
Banfield’s sister, Lisa Diana Banfield, 52, of Dartmouth, was the gunman’s common-law spouse. She faces two charges of illegally transferring ammunition. Her matters are due back in court May 5 for pleas.
The third person charged is Lisa Banfield’s brother-in-law, Brian W. Brewster, 61, of Lucasville. His single charge returns to court for a plea April 19.
The Crown proceeded summarily on the charges, so the maximum sentence is a jail term of two years less a day, a $5,000 fine, or both.
