Walter (Wally) Gillespie, left, and Robert (Bobby) Mailman pose in the south end neighbourhood where they grew up in Saint John, N.B., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Nearly a month after two New Brunswick men were acquitted of a murder charge, the province is yet to respond to a request for compensation and an apology. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
FREDERICTON – Nearly a month after two New Brunswick men had their murder convictions overturned, the province is yet to respond to a request for compensation and an apology.
New Brunswick’s Court of King’s Bench acquitted Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie on Jan. 4 and declared the justice system had failed the men, who received life sentences in 1984 for the killing of a man in Saint John, N.B., the previous year.
Her ruling came after federal Justice Minister Arif Virani ordered a new trial on Dec. 22, saying evidence had surfaced that called into question “the overall fairness of the process.”
New Brunswick Justice Minister Ted Flemming has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the case and the possibility of compensation.
Premier Blaine Higgs said last week he intends to “get some advice on what the ruling was” and promised to “do the right thing at the end of the day.”
But advocates for the two men say their letters to the government have gone unanswered, and Mailman, who was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in November, fears he will die before the province acts.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
