Outgoing Surrey mayor Doug McCallum乌鸦传媒檚 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:

乌鸦传媒� Surrey Now-Leader (@SurreyNowLeader)

McCallum乌鸦传媒檚 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 乌鸦传媒渧ery dangerous乌鸦传媒� manner.

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

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

The court reviewed CCTV footage from the grocery store乌鸦传媒檚 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.

乌鸦传媒淚 said 乌鸦传媒楻esign, McCallum乌鸦传媒� 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, 乌鸦传媒淲hat did you say, madam?乌鸦传媒� to which she again told him to resign.

乌鸦传媒淚t became unpleasantries between the two of us, back and forth,乌鸦传媒� Johnstone said. 乌鸦传媒淚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.

乌鸦传媒淚 swore at him,乌鸦传媒� she testified. 乌鸦传媒淚 made a reference to him having a scaly face. I called him a scaly-faced motherf乌鸦传媒�-er.乌鸦传媒�

She said McCallum was saying things back.

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

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

乌鸦传媒淗e was angry.乌鸦传媒�

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

乌鸦传媒淎s I drove away I yelled, 乌鸦传媒榊ou乌鸦传媒檙e evil.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�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 didn乌鸦传媒檛 hear, feel or see anything unexpected, she said, and doesn乌鸦传媒檛 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 乌鸦传媒渁s there had been an incident.

乌鸦传媒淚 went of my own free will,乌鸦传媒� she said.

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

乌鸦传媒淗e told me I was being investigated for assault with a weapon and criminal harassment.乌鸦传媒�

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

In cross examination Monday, Peck asked Johnstone about her saying, 乌鸦传媒楬oly crap, it乌鸦传媒檚 McCallum乌鸦传媒� and that it was her 乌鸦传媒渓ucky day.乌鸦传媒�

He asked her why it was her 乌鸦传媒渓ucky day?乌鸦传媒�

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

乌鸦传媒淣ow he乌鸦传媒檚 going to have to confront all of us on his day off.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been a long four years,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 have tried very hard just to be heard.乌鸦传媒�

Peck suggested she uses 乌鸦传媒渧ile乌鸦传媒� language 乌鸦传媒渢o intimidate and instill fear in people.乌鸦传媒�

To this Johnstone responded, 乌鸦传媒淚 do it to let them know what they乌鸦传媒檙e doing is not appropriate.乌鸦传媒�

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

乌鸦传媒淛ust so you know, I voted for Mr. McCallum in 2018,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淢r. Peck, there have been many things that have gone wrong.乌鸦传媒�

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.

乌鸦传媒淚 also reported the death threat that was sprayed on my garage.乌鸦传媒�

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

乌鸦传媒淚 can乌鸦传媒檛 say Mr. McCallum did it,乌鸦传媒� Johnstone retorted, adding she assumed it was 乌鸦传媒渓ousy supporters乌鸦传媒� of his.

Peck asked Johnstone if it乌鸦传媒檚 her habit to demean people with physical disabilities, referencing her comment about McCallum乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒渟caly乌鸦传媒� face.

乌鸦传媒淣o,乌鸦传媒� she replied. 乌鸦传媒淢r. McCallum has been very disrespectful to me.乌鸦传媒�

The Crown is proceeding summarily in McCallum乌鸦传媒檚 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 mayor乌鸦传媒檚 chair, which he occupied from 1996 to 2005, McCallum was sworn in by a judge on Nov. 5, 2018 for his fourth term as Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 mayor.

Brenda Locke, of Surrey Connect, defeated him for the mayor乌鸦传媒檚 seat in the Oct. 15 election by 973 votes with 33,311 to McCallum乌鸦传媒檚 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 she乌鸦传媒檚 instructed city staff to that end, 乌鸦传媒渁nd that they are to seek outside legal for an opinion regarding the city乌鸦传媒檚 obligation.乌鸦传媒�

It乌鸦传媒檚 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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