| awaits

Bob Mackin
Contributing Writer

THE fate of Eric Valois
won't be revealed until
Feb. 2, 1999,

The babv-ficed. 26-year.
old Montreal native’s two-da
trial in Vancouver provincial
C before Judge C.J.
Trueman ended Dee. 21.
Valois arged with fleeing
lawful custady from West
Vancouver provincial court on
Jan. 30, 1986.

Trueman will deliver the
verdict three days after the
13th anniversary of the inci-
dent. She was prepared to
render the judgment sooner,
bur neither Crown counsel
Ellen Gerber, Valois’ lawver
David Benning nor Trueman
herself, could agree on a date
until early February. All three
cited professional and person-
al commitments.

Valois was arrested in West
Vancouver at his uncle’s house
on Jan. 26, 1986. Acting ona
tip and armed with a search
warrant, West Vancouver
Police found a suitcase there
containing dynamite. blasting

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Valois was charged with
Possessing Woapons and
explosives, bur he vaulted
trom the prisoner's dock and
disappeared through an. exit
during his second appearance
in court in 1980,

The explosives and
weapons charges were stayed
more than a vear age after kev
evidence was fost.

Ins their recent’ closing
arguments, Gerber and
Benning sad) identification
was the basis of their cases,

Gerber called seven it:
nesses. She said West
Vancouver Police Syt. Stuart
Leishman, Cpl. George
Phillipson and court recorder
Kim Lowe all) remembered
Valois trom 1986. Leishman
arrested and interviewed
Valois, while Phillipson took
his fingerprints. Lowe was one
of three witnesses who
daimed to sce Valois in the
courtroom the day he went
missing. All three clearly iden-
tified Valois in: court: during
their testimony, “Although
the case occurred almost 13
Years ago, witnesses still had

OPEN Dall
SUNDAY 12-5P3

G * sand Gerber. She said
Valois’ P9860 a3 anees in
court wer markable,
until his escape.

“These witnesses had a
calm, lesurely oppertunity to
observe him she added.
Benning called no witnesses
and introduced no evidence.
Instead. he questicned the

ibility of Crown witness

mas that the
P the witness
identification of his) chent
could be enough for die judge
to find reasonable doubt.

Deirdre Pothecary, che
Crown counsel who drew up
Valois’ charges in 1986, was
unable to point out Valois in
the courtroom alter her tesd-
mony. Retired West
Vancouver justice of the peace
Mary Epps had the most tleet-
ing contact with Valois in

He ber said. When

ify Valois, she

id he had to he one of wo
ice males ia the courtroom,

Benning said Marian von
Wittgenstei y

1986, was “tainted” bee:

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~ North Shore News - 9

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