There are now charges for only three of the “Excelsior 4” for break-and-enter and criminal mischief at an Abbotsford hog farm in 2019 after the case against activist Geoff Regier was dropped by the Crown on Friday (April 29).
Regier was present when the Meat the Victims group entered and then occupied Excelsior Hog Farm on April 28, 2019. He was not one of the approximately 60 individuals who went onto the farm, but was outside with about 100 others protesting on Harris Road.
His lawyers stated that charges should be dropped on grounds of “abuse of process” by the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA), but the judge made no findings in that regard.
Crown counsel does not usually reveal the reasons for staying charges, typically only stating there is “not a strong likelihood of conviction.”
According to a press release from the Excelsior 4, Regier made contact with the BCSPCA in July 2019 with video footage of alleged animal cruelty at the farm.
The three remaining activists—Amy Soranno, Roy Sasano, and Nick Schafer—are scheduled to go to trial for four weeks in Abbotsford beginning June 27. The three face a combined 18 charges of break-and-enter and criminal mischief, and face potential jail time if found guilty.
RELATED: Trial date set for activists linked to Abbotsford hog farm protest
