below is Girrs statement he wrote to provide his account of how the court process went down. We are republishing it here for your consideration along with the Guelph ABC statement on the events here.
-Guelph ABC
I have been hearing there has been some controversy regarding my sentencing, so this is my my recollection of exactly what happened. During my sentencing (part 1) the crown alleged I was arm and arm with someone they suspect to be another alleged black bloc member, and just like at other court dates they talked about that individual more than myself. About 3/4 of the way through the first day the crown and Davin were discussing with the judge something that I had not heard before. I leaned over and asked Davin to explain it to me. He explained that they want me to confirm the identity of the other person in the photo, and that if I did not they would bring in a expert to prove her identity. Instantly I told him no unless he contacted the individual or her lawyer. The recess was called for 15 minutes. While I outside smoking I explained the situation to people (including members of Guelph ABC) and no one had much to say about it. Then Davin came out and told me that he got a hold of the lawyer and that the lawyer said it wouldn’t make a difference to her case but would work against me if I didn’t. Davin also said that he got advice from that lawyer regarding my case. So after we got back inside Davin stated to the court that I acknowledged the identity of the individual in those photos and court went on.
I just want to say sorry for what happened and for how things turned out. For the weeks leading up to my sentencing my biggest worry was how to best avoid pissing people off or offending anyone with what I would say to the court, but that ended up happening anyways. My biggest regret in all of this is that an amazing person who doesn’t deserve any of this will suffer because I made a stupid decision under a false pretense and misinformation.
Sincerely,
Girr Rowley
325 Collective