Outgoing Surrey mayor Doug McCallumsa国际传媒檚 seven-day trial on a charge of public mischief began Monday morning (Oct. 31) in Surrey provincial court with a plea of not guilty.

Doug McCallum arrives at court in today to begin his 7-day trial. Story here:

sa国际传媒� Surrey Now-Leader (@SurreyNowLeader)

McCallumsa国际传媒檚 charge stems from an encounter on Sept. 4, 2021 between himself and a group of volunteers who were gathering petition signatures outside the South Point Save-On-Foods store in South Surrey for a referendum on the policing transition.

Special prosecutor Richard Fowler told Judge Reginald Harris on Monday that McCallum told police Surrey-resident Deborah Johnstone ran over his leg and foot with a Mustang two-door convertible and drove off in a sa国际传媒渧ery dangeroussa国际传媒� manner.

The prosecutor told the court McCallum walked away and later that day told police Johnstone sa国际传媒渏ust aboutsa国际传媒� pinned him to his car and as she pulled away sa国际传媒渟he actually floored itsa国际传媒� and purposefully turned toward him and ran over his foot. sa国际传媒淚 really on this one want to go after her,sa国际传媒� Fowler said McCallum told police.

Fowler said sa国际传媒渢he question will besa国际传媒� if McCallum intended to mislead police into believing she had done something illegal sa国际传媒渂y making false statements to the police with the intention to cause Ms. Johnstone to be suspected of having committed an offence.sa国际传媒�

The court reviewed CCTV footage from the grocery storesa国际传媒檚 entrance looking out into the parking lot where Johnstone confronted McCallum, they had an exchange, she drove off and he then walked to the store.

sa国际传媒淚 said sa国际传媒楻esign, McCallumsa国际传媒� when she first saw him at the scene, Johnstone told the court. She said the roof was down on her car, which she was sitting in. It was parked, she said, and indicated she was roughly 15 feet away from him.

She said McCallum walked in front of her car and over to her passenger side and asked her, sa国际传媒淲hat did you say, madam?sa国际传媒� to which she again told him to resign.

sa国际传媒淚t became unpleasantries between the two of us, back and forth,sa国际传媒� Johnstone said. sa国际传媒淚t was a heated debate. I told him he was the worst mayor that Surrey ever had. I told him he was mean-spirited and a liar.

sa国际传媒淚 swore at him,sa国际传媒� she testified. sa国际传媒淚 made a reference to him having a scaly face. I called him a scaly-faced motherfsa国际传媒�-er.sa国际传媒�

She said McCallum was saying things back.

sa国际传媒淗e told me I was a loud mouth, and something to the effect that I was no good for Surrey,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淗e told me I wasnsa国际传媒檛 allowed to be there.sa国际传媒�

Johnstone said the exchange lasted about a minute. McCallum had spit at the side of his mouth, she said.

sa国际传媒淗e was angry.sa国际传媒�

She told the court McCallum threatened to call Bylaws on her and she replied for him to fill his boots, shesa国际传媒檇 call the RCMP.

sa国际传媒淎s I drove away I yelled, sa国际传媒榊ousa国际传媒檙e evil.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

Johnstone told the court that she drove away slowly because she was in a parking lot. She said her intent was to find parking.

She didnsa国际传媒檛 hear, feel or see anything unexpected, she said, and doesnsa国际传媒檛 recall McCallum saying anything to her as she drove off.

Johnstone testified that later that afternoon she received a call from police asking her to come to the station sa国际传媒渁s there had been an incident.

sa国际传媒淚 went of my own free will,sa国际传媒� she said.

When she got to the station, she said, she spoke with an officer.

sa国际传媒淗e told me I was being investigated for assault with a weapon and criminal harassment.sa国际传媒�

McCallum sat with his lawyers and momentarily twiddled his thumbs while listening to Johnstonesa国际传媒檚 testimony as roughly two dozen people, six of them reporters, listened from the gallery.

In cross examination Monday, Peck asked Johnstone about her saying, sa国际传媒楬oly crap, itsa国际传媒檚 McCallumsa国际传媒� and that it was her sa国际传媒渓ucky day.sa国际传媒�

He asked her why it was her sa国际传媒渓ucky day?sa国际传媒�

She replied McCallum would typically put bylaw officers on the volunteers.

sa国际传媒淣ow hesa国际传媒檚 going to have to confront all of us on his day off.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 been a long four years,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 have tried very hard just to be heard.sa国际传媒�

Peck suggested she uses sa国际传媒渧ilesa国际传媒� language sa国际传媒渢o intimidate and instill fear in people.sa国际传媒�

To this Johnstone responded, sa国际传媒淚 do it to let them know what theysa国际传媒檙e doing is not appropriate.sa国际传媒�

Peck asked her about an incident during which she went to McCallumsa国际传媒檚 home in Crescent Beach. sa国际传媒淗e was not governing the city in a democratic way,sa国际传媒� she replied. She added she thought it a legitimate way to protest and that she was not on his property.

sa国际传媒淛ust so you know, I voted for Mr. McCallum in 2018,sa国际传媒� she said.

sa国际传媒淢r. Peck, there have been many things that have gone wrong.sa国际传媒�

She told the court about her hanging out a sign during a provincial election when she saw someone in a black SUV with a gun.

sa国际传媒淚 also reported the death threat that was sprayed on my garage.sa国际传媒�

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Peck said she had no rational basis to suggest McCallum was behind these acts.

sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 say Mr. McCallum did it,sa国际传媒� Johnstone retorted, adding she assumed it was sa国际传媒渓ousy supporterssa国际传媒� of his.

Peck asked Johnstone if itsa国际传媒檚 her habit to demean people with physical disabilities, referencing her comment about McCallumsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渟calysa国际传媒� face.

sa国际传媒淣o,sa国际传媒� she replied. sa国际传媒淢r. McCallum has been very disrespectful to me.sa国际传媒�

The Crown is proceeding summarily in McCallumsa国际传媒檚 trial.

Criminal cases are prosecuted either by indictment, summarily or a hybrid of the two. Summary offences are the least serious of the three.

A person charged with an indictable offence is required to appear in court whereas someone accused of a summary offence does not, unless a judge says otherwise. A summary offence in B.C. is considered to be in the realm of petty crime and under the Criminal Code of Canada is the least serious type of offence.

After a 13-year break from the mayorsa国际传媒檚 chair, which he occupied from 1996 to 2005, McCallum was sworn in by a judge on Nov. 5, 2018 for his fourth term as Surreysa国际传媒檚 mayor.

Brenda Locke, of Surrey Connect, defeated him for the mayorsa国际传媒檚 seat in the Oct. 15 election by 973 votes with 33,311 to McCallumsa国际传媒檚 32,338. One of her election promises was to make McCallum pay for his own legal costs in this case, rather than Surrey taxpayers having to foot the bill.

Locke said Monday shesa国际传媒檚 instructed city staff to that end, sa国际传媒渁nd that they are to seek outside legal for an opinion regarding the citysa国际传媒檚 obligation.sa国际传媒�

Itsa国际传媒檚 been a day of raw emotions. A man who had been in the courtroom was wrestled down and detained by sheriffs following a ruckus on an upper floor of the courthouse during the afternoon break.

The trial continues.

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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