Evidence of ex-gang leader co-operating in mass murder trial ‘tainted,’: defence

VANCOUVER – The lawyer for one of the men accused in a mass gang murder in British Columbia says the testimony of a crucial prosecution witness is tainted.

Simon Buck told a B.C. Supreme Court judge he intends to argue that former Red Scorpions gang leader Michael Le has given evidence that is neither reliable nor credible.

Under cross-examination by Buck, Le agreed that he had reviewed large amounts of disclosure documents leading up to the initial trial, when he too was an accused in the case.

Normally, witnesses are excluded from hearing evidence until after they’ve testified.

Le was accused along with Matthew Johnston and Cody Haevischer until November, when he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and then became a co-operating witness.

Johnston and Haevischer are each charged with conspiracy and six counts of first-degree murder in the drug-related plot that lead to the shooting deaths in a Surrey, B.C. highrise in October 2007.