Trial of Seal Hunt Observers Ends

Friday, May 09, 2008

During testimony given this week, the five defendants, including Respect for Animals’ campaigns director Mark Glover, reviewed video evidence, recounted the events of March 26, 2006 and discounted the statements of the arresting Department of Fisheries and Oceans officer Jean-Francois Sylvestre. Their testimony and video not only proved that the defendants were not violating the terms of their observation permits, but that they could not have been positioned as Mr. Sylvestre testified during the incident in question. Independent, scientific evidence rejected by the judge showed with scientific certainty that it was impossible for the defendants to have been closer than 19.6m from the sealer in question and were most likely even farther than that. 

Notably, no other eyewitnesses to the incident, including numerous sealers and an officer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, were called by the Crown to confirm Mr. Sylvestre’s testimony.

“Certainly, if these eyewitnesses could have verified the argument that my clients broke the law, the Crown would have asked them to testify,” concluded Clay Ruby, counsel for the defendents. “No matter your feelings on the commercial seal hunt, after six days of testimony it is now perfectly clear that these charges should never have been brought in the first place. These proceedings were a waste of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and judicial resources that should have gone towards protecting the public.”

The defendants were charged with being within 10m of a sealer hunting a seal on the ice during the 2006 hunt.

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