Trial begins for second group of Nova Scotia inmates in cell attack

The current trial now involves seven inmates

CITYnews\ Canadian Press

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HALIFAX — The prosecution opened its case today in the second of multiple trials where a total of 15 Nova Scotia inmates have been accused of attempting to murder a newly arrived prisoner in 2019.

Before the trial started, the court heard one of the eight inmates originally scheduled for trial, Brian James Marriott, will be dealt with separately later this fall.

The current trial now involves seven inmates: Kaz Cox, Austin Mitton, Kevin Clarke-McNeil, Andriko Crawley, Robert Fraser, Matthew Coaker, and Geevan Nagendran.

They all face charges of conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder, unlawful confinement, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and obstructing a peace officer.

A trial of six other inmates was heard late in September, and the 15th inmate involved in the incident, Sophon Sek, faces the same charges in a separate trial later this fall.

The first witness, Dr. Michael Biddulph, testified today that when victim Stephen Anderson came to the hospital on the night of Dec. 2, he had multiple stab wounds in his chest and back, and his life was in danger as he struggled to breathe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2021.

The Canadian Press