Suspended attorney desired weapon to ‘make sure’ of ex-client, test listens to

The initial witness in the criminal test of put on hold Ottawa protection attorney James Bowie has actually affirmed that he “descended into madness” and ended up being “obsessed” with an ex-client that charged him of extortion in late 2022, to the factor of requesting a weapon to “take care” of her.

At that time, court listened to Bowie was being checked out by the Law Society of Ontario, which he was the topic of media insurance coverage concerning his ex-client Leanne Aubin’s accusations that he provided her his lawful solutions for foreplay.

Bowie, 41, has actually begged blameless to pestering the Crown’s initial witness in case and attempting to obtain her to acquire a weapon for him, along with obtaining Aubin and endangering to eliminate her.

The initial witness can not be recognized as a result of a magazine restriction. A restriction on recognizing Aubin was formerly raised at her’s demand.

The test prior to out-of-town Ontario Court Justice Paul Cooper started in September however rested for just one day. It needed to be adjourned to Tuesday as a result of problems unassociated to the situation.

Bowie has actually formerly informed CBC he anticipates to be acquitted of the costs versus him. (Matthew Kupfer/ CBC)

‘He believed he had dust on me’

Bowie and the initial witness were buddies that fulfilled online in 2020 and beginning hanging around greater than typical in December 2022. Bowie was involved in debate, and the witness was having migration problems she desired recommendations around, she affirmed.

In late February 2023 they fulfilled at a bar, where Bowie continuously recommended that they aid each various other with their issues and “wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she affirmed on trial in principal by aide Crown lawyer Kerry Watson in September.

Bowie provided her cash and job under the table. She decreased due to the fact that she really did not intend to be indebted to him or place herself at risk, she affirmed.

He additionally informed her he “knows people I can do sex work for.” He claimed he recognized she was at risk, which he would certainly inform her partner she did sex operate in the past — something she had actually formerly trusted to Bowie, the witness affirmed.

“I was the only person left by him, and he thought he had dirt on me with the sex work, that I would comply with what he was asking,” she informed court.

‘She’s bent on obtain me’

Bowie informed the witness he desired a weapon for “someone or himself to take care of [Aubin],” she claimed.

“I need this to be over with. I’m going to lose my life … my licence .. everything. She wants me buried. She’s out to get me. She wants me dead. I need her gone,” the witness affirmed Bowie informed her concerning Aubin.

The witness was surprised and informed him she really did not desire any type of component of it. After the conference, she really felt frightened.

“Up until this point I’ve never seen [Bowie] become unhinged. And seeing someone that I used to personally and professionally respect … become depraved and speaking about wanting to commit a crime, it was a mind f–k to me,” she affirmed.

She quit replying to his phone calls and messages.

Found monitoring and general practitioner gadgets on her cars and truck

On April 2, 2023, she claimed she saw Bowie outside a grocery store, eluded so he could not see her, after that drove to an additional grocery store making use of an unusual path. When she completed buying at the following area, she once more saw Bowie in the car park and he informed her they needed to chat.

They had a discussion in her cars and truck in which she “pinky promised” to remain in touch to quell him, she affirmed. When she obtained home she saw him once more in a close-by church car park.

Suspecting he would certainly in some way been tracking her, she mosted likely to her cars and truck and located a monitoring tool inside a wheel well. She claimed she texted him and he confessed was his.

Afterward he “constantly” pounded her with messages and risks to which she really did not react, she affirmed.

Then, on April 17, 2023, she located an additional general practitioner tool under her cars and truck. That exact same day a previous manager informed her somebody had actually called requesting info concerning her making use of Bowie’s number. Also that day the witness asked her roomie to call an unidentified number somebody was pestering her with, and listened to Bowie’s voice on the line.

That’s when she damaged and “finally” called the authorities, she informed court.

The Law Society of Ontario, previously the Law Society of Upper Canada, has actually carried out several examinations right intoBowie (Evan Mitsui/ CBC)

Didn’t aid Bowie, really did not have weapons

Under interrogation by Bowie’s protection attorney, Eric Granger, on Tuesday, the witness denied pointers that she did drug with Bowie; spoke about or followed up with strategies to perform monitoring on individuals that had actually made problems concerning him, consisting of Aubin; and maintained a revolver and a semi-automatic weapon in a locker.

She affirmed she had not remained in rehabilitation, and really did not provide a close friend of Bowie’s a publication concerning meeting and examination strategies due to the fact that she does not lend her publications out.

She claimed Bowie increased the subject of taking his very own life with a weapon, however denied Granger’s tip that Bowie just ever before requested for a weapon in regard to damaging himself. “He’s spoken about a gun on more than one occasion,” she affirmed.

Granger additionally recommended that throughout the discussion in her cars and truck on April 2, Bowie claimed something like: “Hey look, this is getting crazy, I feel like a crazy person, I’m not sure what’s going on here. Do you want to stop?”

She informed court Bowie never ever claimed that.

Cross- assessment proceededWednesday The witness rejected protection pointers that Bowie had actually offered her among the monitoring gadgets, which she had actually overemphasized Bowie’s harassment to authorities to obtain him far from her. She additionally affirmed she was encouraged Bowie can damage her, which her concern of him proceeds.

Under short re-examination by the Crown, she affirmed she is adamantly versus medicines and is bound to preserve excellent ethical personality for occupational factors.

The test proceeds.