The case against the couple charged with plotting to plant three pressure cooker bombs at the B.C. legislature on Canada Day has been adjourned for one month.
John Stuart Nuttall, 38, and Amanda Marie Korody, 30, stood during their first appearance in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday and listened as the clerk read four new charges to them. Neither was required to enter a plea or make any response.
“Because the new indictment was just laid, the Crown wanted it read to them in court,” said defence lawyer Tom Morino.
The indictment charges Nuttall and Korody with conspiring together to murder persons unknown for the benefit of a terrorist group, conspiring together to place an explosive in a government or public facility with intent to cause death or serious bodily injury for the benefit of a terrorist group and facilitating a terrorist activity. The offences are alleged to have taken place between Feb. 1 and July 2, 2013. The couple is also charged with possessing an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or damage property for the benefit of a terrorist group between June 25 and July 2.
The couple’s next appearance has been scheduled for Aug. 7. Morino said that will give him time to arrange satisfactory funding through the Legal Services Society to pay for experts and travel between Victoria and Vancouver. It will also give Morino time to arrange for a lawyer to represent Korody. Morino is meeting with a Vancouver lawyer today to see whether he might be interested in representing her.
“Aug. 7 will put us in a better position to start to agree upon a timeline of upcoming events,” the defence lawyer said.
“We’ll be able to anticipate when we have full disclosure. We’ll be able to anticipate when we can actually do a bail hearing and how much time will be required for trial.”
Korody and Nuttall are each being held in segregation. Although they wanted to hold hands in court, Morino advised them not to.
“I said: ‘Please, I’m sorry. You can’t touch each other.’ I don’t want the sheriffs to think of John as being, in any way, unco-operative. … But I couldn’t begin to imagine what it’s like to be deprived of human contact for 23 hours a day in segregation, then to be brought up into the courtroom where your wife is seated within arm’s length, but you can’t touch her.”
Morino confirmed Nuttall is going through methadone withdrawal. He said his client has been a little messed up for the last few days, but looked chipper and good on Wednesday.
“The first few days in cells were just pure hell for him. There was all the confusion over what had gone on the last year and the issue of withdrawing from methadone. Things were pretty hellish for him for a few days. He seemed to me to be much better today.”
