Accused bomber allowed to question police evidence

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This article was published 19/09/2017 (2723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Defence lawyers for an accused bomber have been given permission to question the police officer who applied for a warrant during the attempted-murder investigation.

Lawyers for 51-year-old Guido Amsel have launched a consitutional challenge questioning the legality of the blood sample that was taken from him as part of the investigation, and they want to know why the Winnipeg Police Service officer who asked the court for a warrant didn’t mention that certain tests aiming to link Amsel to the crime came back with inconclusive results.

Provincial court Judge Tracey Lord decided Tuesday that the officer who applied for the warrant will be called to court so he can be cross-examined by defence lawyers Saheel Zaman and Jeremy Kostiuk. They’ll be allowed to question him only about why he didn’t include RCMP forensic lab results from swabs of Amsel’s hands that tested for traces of explosive substances. The Aug. 25, 2015 report noted the likelihood of a false-positive result, court heard. The affadavit police used to obtain a warrant was filed in court on Aug. 26, 2015 and was signed by a judge on Aug. 27, 2015.

Amsel faces five counts of attempted murder after mailed bombs were sent to his ex-wife and two Winnipeg law firms in July 2015. One of the bombs seriously injured lawyer Maria Mitousis, who had represented Amsel’s ex-wife in a divorce proceeding. She lost her hand in an explosion at her law office. Amsel is also charged in relation to an explosion at his ex-wife’s home in 2013.