Arson victim terrified island residents, jury hears
Many Grand Manan residents feared the man whose island home was attacked and burned to the ground last summer, defence witnesses told a St. Andrews jury on Wednesday.
Carter Foster, Matthew Lambert, Michael Small, Lloyd Bainbridge and Greg Guthrie areaccused of carrying out a vigilante-style attack on a reputed drug house owned by Ronald Ross in the small Grand Manan community of Castalia last July 22. Their lawyer suggests they were acting in self-defence.
On Wednesday, severalresidents testifiedon behalf ofthe five men charged with arson and weapons related offences. They all saidRossand his friends were athreatening and intimidating presence on the island.
The witnesses said Ross was believed to be a drug dealer— though he has never been charged with that crime— and even the island's three RCMP officers were reluctant to tangle with him.
Grand Manan ferry worker Judy Gaskill told the court on Wednesday about a conversation with RCMP Cpl. Gerard Bigger. She said they talked together on the boat before the riot took place.
Gaskill said the officer told her about a rumourthat Ross's house was going to be burned down. She said the officer then said, "maybe that's what it would take."
Gaskill told the court she then asked how police would respond to a fire at Ross's home, and he answered "take a drive to Southern Head" a community on the opposite end of the island.
However, the jury heard that Biggar tried to protect Ross from attackers during the riot, and that officers helped him get off the island.
Gaskill also testified that her daughter and her two grandchildren lived on the same street as Ross, and that living near the man made her 11-year-old grandson very fearful.
She said the boy witnessed a car burning in Ross's driveway and saw Ross and his friends running around with baseball bats. The boy was so scared, she said, he wouldn't even ride his bike past the Ross house.
The brother of a friend of Ross's also testified on Wednesday.
Harold Marshall was in the Ross home the night of the riot. His brother Larry Marshall told the court that his brother,who had a long criminal record and once threatened his life,bragged in the days leading up to the riot thatpeople were coming to Grand Manan with explosives and machine guns to burn people's houses down.
LarryMarshalltold the court he thought his brother was serious, and made an anonymous call to RCMP in Fredericton.
The final defence witness was Andrew Jones, a teacher and volunteer fire fighter who responded to thefire atthe Rosshouse on July 22.
He testified to being in Ross's yard operating a fire hose and hearing Ross yell out, "You can burn us out and we'll set up tents and we're not going to sell drugs to your kids, we'll give them away.'
Jones also told the court the group insideRoss's house that night had an attitude like they owned the island.
Defence lawyer David Lutz will callhis final three witnesses on Thursday. Following that both the Crown and defence will present closing arguments to the jury.
On FridayMr. Justice Hugh McLellanis expected togive his instructions to the 12-memberjury and they'll begin deliberations.