Final submissions are expected to wrap up in Cranbrook Thursday in the challenge of our country’s laws against polygamy.
Winston Blackmore’s lawyer asked the courtroom Wednesday why someone who has 25 kids with 25 different lovers but doesn’t pay child support is just a deadbeat and but his client is considered a criminal.
Blackmore was found guilty in July of marrying two dozen women over 25 years.
His lawyer Blair Suffredine argued in his final submissions there’s been an abuse of process since litigation started in the early 1990s.
Suffredine suggests a 1992 decision by the BC Attorney General induced his client to believe his religious practices were protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights.
Constant delays and new evidence introduced in 2008 have created prejudices against Blackmore, according to the defense, which is calling for a stay of the charge.
Special Prosecutor Peter Wilson will deliver his closing arguments tomorrow after testimony from current and former RCMP officers concluded on Thursday.
A decision will likely come in the New Year.
Josh Hoffman of Drive FM in Cranbrook contributed this report.