Lisa Banfield, the wife of the gunman who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April 2020, is relieved that criminal charges against her in connection with the shootings have been dismissed, her lawyer said Tuesday. Banfield was charged in March with illegally supplying her husband with ammunition in the month before the mass killings. “It’s a big relief for her; it’s a big relief for her sisters, and it’s a big relief for me,” attorney James Lockyer said in an interview. “It’s all part of Lisa’s attempt to restart her life,” he said. Crown prosecutor Sarah Lane told Judge Theodore Tax in the provincial court in Dartmouth, NS, that Banfield has successfully completed the restorative justice process and that the Crown is withdrawing the charge against her. With the Crown withdrawing the charge, Tax said for “complete closure” on the matter he would drop the charge entirely. Banfield, her brother and brother-in-law were accused of giving Gabriel Wortman .223-caliber Remington cartridges and .40-caliber Smith and Wesson cartridges. Police said all three had no prior knowledge of the killer’s plans. Charges against Banfield’s brother and brother-in-law were also dropped by the Crown. Nova Scotia’s restorative justice program creates opportunities for people accused of crimes and victims of crimes to work together to reach resolutions, allowing suspects to avoid a criminal record. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 26, 2022. This story was produced with financial assistance from Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
