Crown says calling victim in hitman case unnecessary
Posted Jan 24, 2013 06:27:27 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Crown attorney in the case of a woman who tried to have her husband killed by a hitman says he didn’t call the intended victim at her trial because it wasn’t necessary.
Michael Ryan has said he wanted to testify to counter claims by his former wife Nicole Ryan that he was abusive.
Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a stay of proceedings against Nicole Ryan while also overturning her acquittal.
But Crown prosecutor Peter Craig says he’s confident the prosecution made the correct decision in the original trial.
“After the accused testified and the other defense witnesses, it was my assessment that Michael Ryan’s evidence was not necessary to refute this defense, as I felt the accused had not established this defense on the evidence,” explains Craig.
The Supreme Court described Ryan as conducting a “reign of terror” against his ex-wife, basing its conclusions about Ryan on the findings of the original trial judge.
Ryan has denied this portrayal and says the Crown never gave him a chance to have his say.
