Facts about entrapment in relation to a B.C. terrorism trial
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has ruled the RCMP entrapped a couple convicted of plotting to blow up the provincial legislature on Canada Day three years ago. John Nuttall and Amanda Korody walked free today after they were found guilty by a jury in June 2015 of terrorism charges. However, a judge had put the convictions aside until after the pair’s lawyers argued their clients were manipulated by police to plant what they believed were pressure-cooker bombs. Here are some facts about entrapment:
What is entrapment?
The Supreme Court of Canada says entrapment occurs when authorities coax someone to carry out a criminal offence they would otherwise have been unlikely to commit. It can happen in one of two ways. Firstly, entrapment occurs if police provide an opportunity for someone to break the law without having reasonable grounds that the person is already engaged in or likely to engage in criminal activity. Secondly, entrapment happens if police go beyond providing an opportunity for a suspect to commit a crime and actually induce them to break the law. In Canada, entrapment is an argument against criminal liability.
How does entrapment work?