Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in ‘Freedom Convoy’

By David Baxter, The Canadian Press on November 22, 2024.

"Freedom Convoy" organizer Pat King arrives to court for the start of his criminal trial in Ottawa on Monday, May 13, 2024. A judge is expected to issue a decision this morning in the criminal case against one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA – Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.

A judge in an Ottawa courtroom today said the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that King was guilty on one count each of mischief, counselling others to commit mischief, counselling others to obstruct police and two counts of disobeying a court order.

The Alberta resident was found not guilty on three counts of intimidation and one count of obstructing police himself.

King’s defence argued that King was peacefully protesting during the three-week demonstration in Ottawa that gridlocked downtown streets to oppose COVID-19 public health restrictions.

But the Crown alleged he was a protest leader who was instrumental to the disruption it caused the city and people who lived and worked nearby.

The Crown’s case relied mainly on King’s own videos, which he posted to social media throughout the protest to document the demonstration and communicate with protesters.

This story by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024.