Judge quashes ban on media & public at Bosma pre-trial proceeding

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A judge has ruled that the public, including the news media, can be in court as motions are made leading up to the trial of accused murderers Dellen Millard and Mark Smich.

The two are implicated in the murders of Hamilton’s Tim Bosma and Toronto’s Laura Babcock. Millard is also charged in connection with his father’s death.

He looked emaciated, ungroomed and tired in court today, but still made eye contact and smiled at reporters and police officers in the body of the court. Smich looked clean-cut and did not address anyone but his lawyer.

Previous motions in the pre-trial were held behind closed doors. But today, lawyers for media including CHCH successfully argued that the pre-trial should be public, although if a sensitive protected issue comes up, people may be asked to leave the courtroom while it’s dealt with.

Brian Rogers, the lawyer representing CHCH and The Hamilton Spectator says “what’s at issue is a matter of solicitor-client privilege. That’s at the heart of what these motions are about.”

What that means is anything discussed between a lawyer and his client, they don’t want revealed in open court.

Although media is allowed to watch the pre-trial, we can’t report on the evidence heard; it is all subject to a publication ban. The next court date to hear motions is April 30th.