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Judge Cancels Subpoena

Wednesday, 29 August 2018 16:29

The Andrew A. Philipsen Law Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon.

A deputy judge has cancelled a subpoena for Ashley Joannou.

A Yukon Supreme Court deputy judge has cancelled a subpoena for Ashley Joannou,  a former reporter  for the Yukon News. She was subpoenaed by the Crown to testify for the Tamara Goeppel trial which commenced Monday.

The subpoena was in relation to an article Joannou published regarding the Goeppel trial on October 28, 2016.

Justice John Vertes stated her testimony wan't needed and later cancelled the subpoena.

Goeppel has been charged with violating the Yukon Elections Act when running as a candidate in the 2016 territorial election as a liberal.

Megan Hannan, the lawyer representing Joannou, suggested the subpoena didn't account for the freedom of the press and that making a reporter testify in the trial shouldn't be used unless no other ways of obtaining information was possible.

Vertes said that if the Crown felt Joannou's testimony was needed as the trial moved ahead, they could reevaluate the decision then.

 Leo Lane, Crown prosecutor, suggested subpoenas aren't impacted by freedom of the press and that when an individual talks to the media, that information can later be used in court. 

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