RCMP informant faces hostile cross-examination at J-Tornado trial

The Crown's key witness in the ongoingJ-Tornadodrug trial in Saint John endured a second day of openly hostile cross-examination Thursday, including more pointed insults from defence lawyer BrianMunro.

"You are a professional rat,"Munrosaid to the witness, as Crown prosecutor MelanieFerronappealed for more civility.

"This is a courtroom," saidFerron,as she asked Court of Queen's BenchJustice William Grant to rein inMunro.

"There's no doubt there's a criminal past there [with the witness], but there's no need to use derogatory terms."

Grant saidMunrowas entitled to conduct his cross-examination as he wished and said since the witness is a police informant, the term "rat" is something many people would understand.

• 'You are a lying cheat': RCMP informant in hotseat at J-Tornado trial

"It's not a nice term, but the groundwork has been laid," said Grant. "In some circles it is disrespectful, but in some others, it's not."

The man, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, is testifying against Shane Williams,of Smithtown, and Joshua Kindred, of Saint John,whoare on trial for various drug possession, trafficking and conspiracy charges.

The co-accused, who are both in their 30s,were among 28 arrested by police in September 2014 as part of Operation J-Tornado, a three-year investigation into drug trafficking in New Brunswick that depended heavily on evidence gathered by the man, a one-time Saint John businessman and former friend of Williams with his own criminal past.

Munro, who is Williams's lawyer, has been questioningthe man for two days, trying to expose inconsistencies in his testimony and show that he continued to engage in criminal activities after promising police he would not.

Munro played phone calls and showed text messages from the man's personal cellphone, which were all recorded during his work on J-Tornado.

But for every exchange Munro said sounded like a drug deal,the manoffered an alternativeexplanationor said he couldn'trememberwhat washappening.

In one instance, in May 2014, while employed by the RCMP, the man's phone received a text message from an unknown person saying they could get the man "a roll for $600.This is your only option."

The man replies: "K, I'll pay you later."

Munro insisted the exchange sounded like a drug deal, but the man said he had no idea what it was.

"It doesn't make sense.It must have been a joke."

But although Munro made little headway on that front, he did paint the witness into a corner on one issuewhether he secretly met withWilliams in Montreal at the height of the J-Tornado investigation without the knowledge or approval of his RCMP handlers.

The man said the meeting never happened, but Munro said it did and promised to pursue the issue further when cross-examination continues on Friday.