The lawyer for one of two religious leaders facing polygamy charges in British Columbia said he plans to use gay marriage and the right to religious freedom to defend his client.
Blair Suffredine, lawyer for Winston Blackmore, said that if adults of the same sex can legally marry, the same right should apply to consenting adults who want to enter conjugal relationships with more than one person at a time.
Blackmore, 52, is charged with having 20 wives. He and James Oler, 44, who is also facing polygamy charges for having two wives, appeared in court in Creston yesterday morning. They are rival leaders in the religious community of Bountiful and face up to five years in jail if convicted.
Neither is being kept in custody ahead of the trial, which was delayed until February to give the Crown more time to prepare its case.
