Warrant issued for key witness in Penticton kidnapping trial

PENTICTON – The continuation of the trial for a man accused of kidnapping, assault and firearms charges will not resume for another two months, and the case’s key witness failed to make an appearance in court today, prompting a warrant for her arrest.

Afshin Ighani’s trial on 10 counts relating to an incident that took place in and around Princeton on April 22, 2017 was adjourned in early December to follow up on testimony given by key witness Jodie Walker. She claimed Ighani had been having telephone conversations with her while he was in prison awaiting trial.

Walker has been a reluctant and sometimes missing witness during the proceedings. She failed to show up at court proceedings earlier this year, and her failure to show up this morning prompted Crown prosecutor John Swanson to request a warrant for her arrest.

Swanson told Judge Nitya Iyer, who appeared via telephone, Walker had been in court last Monday, but failed to show up today, Feb. 27.

Ighani's return to court via video link today centred around discussions between Crown and defence counsel about a date for continuation of the trial. The lawyers also discussed a possible relocation of proceedings to Kelowna citing a lack of court time in Penticton, but two days in May were eventually agreed upon.

The trial, expected to take two more days, is scheduled to resume May 9.

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