Former Merritt city councillor’s trial ends in acquittal

Mar 8, 2023 | 11:40 AM

MERRITT, B.C. – Former Merritt City Councilor, Mike Bhangu, has been acquitted from his charges of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

The decision was made Tuesday (March 7) afternoon from the courthouse in Kamloops.

The charges were initially laid onto Bhangu in June of 2021, with the trial starting November of 2022.

It was alleged that Bhangu threatened the worker of a local moving company his ex-partner hired to help move her out of the former councilors house.

Speaking to CFJC News following the acquittal Bhangu wished to thank all those who supported him.

Week In Review

Week in Review: Week of April 27, 2026

May 02, 2026

TWO & OUT

PETERS: If the NDP government is nixing schools and pushing hospital builds, what's next?

May 01, 2026

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: April 30, 2026

Apr 30, 2026

“I’d like to thank ‘The Spirit’, and all those who stood by me through this racist and political attack,” stated Bhangu. “Moreover, I’m grateful to Judge Phillips for seeing through the setup and highlighting that prosecution wasn’t working with credible evidence. Through the process I felt many times treated as a second-class citizen. But this is nothing new, it’s the curse of a painted face, and I’ve experienced the many manifestations of racism since childhood. In this case, if I was treated fairly, I would not have endured a criminal trial. I feel near two years were taken from me, and I’m now left picking up the pieces.”

by Zachary Stewart / Q101 Merritt

Click here to report an error or typo in this article

Former Merritt city councillor’s trial ends in acquittal

Our Community