Sagmoen: Court ban remains in place

A publication ban on voir dire testimony remains in effect for the time being in the case of a man accused of pulling a gun on a sex trade worker near Falkland two years ago.

Media arguments against the ban were to be heard in B.C. Supreme Court in Vernon Tuesday but a lawyer for the CBC was not available.

Those arguments are now expected to be heard on Thursday.

Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, 39, has pleaded not guilty to five charges, including uttering threats, disguising face and discharging a firearm.

On Tuesday, Sagmoen’s lawyer argued the ban remain in place.

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“My client’s parents have been significantly harassed in the matter,” lawyer Lisa Helps told Justice Alison Beames who is presiding over the case.

Helps said there would be “a real or substantial risk” to some members of the public if the voir dire testimony became public, including to Sagmoen’s parents, his ex-spouse and a child.

The voir dire process is a trial within a trial to determine admissability of evidence in court.

His parents own property in the Shuswap where the body of 18-year-old Traci Genereaux was found by the RCMP in 2017.

No charges have been laid in connection with Genereaux’s death.