Christopher Hayes has been convicted of uttering threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Facebook.
The 41-year-old Grayson man first came to the attention of police in March 2016 when the RCMP received a complaint about a Facebook post that began: 鈥淚mma buot to go shoot this mother [expletive] dead.鈥�
The RCMP interviewed Hayes in April and decided he had acted out of frustration due to economic problems and that, while he understood his statements were illegal did not pose an actual threat to the prime minister. They let him go with a warning.
In July, however, made another post that stated: 鈥淗ow can I express my opinion that Justin Trudeau should be shot dead asap without being thrown in jail?鈥�
Hayes was arrested August 2 and charged with one count of uttering threats. Cpl. Richard Pickering, head of the National Security Enforcement Section of the RCMP in Saskatchewan, interviewed Hayes that day.
Pickering testified at trial that the suspect had agreed he would have found similar statements directed at him or his loved ones to be threatening and that he had crossed the line between opinion and threat.
The defence, represented by Legal Aid attorney Josh Seib, argued Hayes was attempting to rally people to take political action and in that context a reasonable person would not find the statements to be a threat to cause Trudeau鈥檚 death. Furthermore, Seib argued, in that same context, his client had not intended the words to constitute a threat.
Judge Ross Green disagreed on both points. In a written decision read into the record at the Provincial Court in Melville February 13, Green said the evidence indicated Hayes understood his Facebook posts had crossed the line and were illegal and that he 鈥渋ntended the words he used in both of his posts, regarding causing death to Prime Minister Trudeau, to intimidate and to be taken seriously.鈥�
Green found Hayes guilty and sentenced him to nine months probation and a $500 fine. He is also subject to a three-year firearms prohibition.
On Monday morning, prior to the sentencing hearing, Hayes was back on Facebook proclaiming his innocence, railing against Trudeau, liberals, Muslims and the RCMP and encouraging others not to be afraid to express their opinions.
For more details on this story please see the February 22 edition of Yorkton This Week.
