Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Richard Oland Crime Scene Was Among Bloodiest Officer Had Seen: Court Hears

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Oct, 2015 10:39 AM
    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A forensic identification officer with the Saint John police department says some of the 40 blows to the head of Richard Oland were caused by a hammer-type instrument while others were inflicted with a blade-like weapon.
     
    Sgt. Mark Smith is facing cross-examination today in the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland in New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench.
     
    Oland has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
     
    Smith says the blade-like weapon left wounds that were six to seven centimetres long.
     
    Oland, who was 69, was found lying in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011.
     
    Under questioning from defence lawyer Gary Miller, Smith said it was one of the bloodiest crime scenes he had ever seen.
     
    "Would you agree there was a great deal of force used?," Miller asked.
     
    "It would be an opinion, yes," Smith replied.
     
    The murder weapon has never been found.
     
    Miller questioned Smith about a logbook that Maureen Adamson — Richard Oland's secretary — had given Dennis Oland the evening of July 6, 2011 to deliver to his mother. During earlier testimony, Adamson had indicated the logbook was left on a table in the middle of the office.
     
    The court has been shown pictures of blood spatter on that table, but Smith has testified all tests on the logbook were negative for the presence of blood.
     
    Miller asked Smith that if the logbook has been in the office at the time of the crime, would it possibly have blood on it.
     
    "A possibility, yes," Smith answered.
     
    Many of Miller's questions Wednesday focused on Smith's examination of Dennis Oland's silver Volkswagen Golf and a red reusable grocery bag in the trunk.
     
    Smith said the car was searched for almost 16 hours and a number of different tests were conducted but there were no positive tests confirming any blood.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    CMHC Conducting Research On Foreign Ownership Of Canadian Real Estate

    Data indicating how much of Canada's real estate is being snatched up by foreign buyers is scant, but the country's national housing agency is working to change that.

    CMHC Conducting Research On Foreign Ownership Of Canadian Real Estate

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel
    Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond issued a sharp rebuke following the death of 18-year-old Alex Gervais, an aboriginal teen in care who was killed after falling from a fourth-floor window of an Abbotsford hotel last Friday.

    B.C. Childrens' Advocate Says She Was Misled About Teen Who Died In Care In Abbotsford Hotel

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks
    The slogan "There are a number of things to do in Okotoks" was photographed on a Calgary transit train and mocked on the Internet this week.

    Bland Tourism Slogan Draws Unexpected But Welcome Attention To Alberta Town Of Okotoks

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday
    Stargazers across Canada are preparing for a rare and spectacular celestial light show this Sunday night.

    Rare Event: Supermoon Phenomenon To Coincide With Total Lunar Eclipse On Sunday

    Ottawa Posts $150 Million Surplus For July, $5.16 Billion For Fiscal Year To Date

    Ottawa's surplus after four months of the 2015-16 financial year was $5.16 billion — including July's $150 million surplus.

    Ottawa Posts $150 Million Surplus For July, $5.16 Billion For Fiscal Year To Date

    Clayton Ness Sentenced For Shooting That Injured Sheriff Allan Buttree At Alberta Courthouse

    Clayton Ness Sentenced For Shooting That Injured Sheriff Allan Buttree At Alberta Courthouse
    A man who shot a sheriff during an escape attempt at a northwestern Alberta courthouse has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

    Clayton Ness Sentenced For Shooting That Injured Sheriff Allan Buttree At Alberta Courthouse