She is accused of giving cannabis-laced cupcakes to a group of Canadian Armed Forces members during a live-fire exercise in 2018.
OROMOCTO, N.B.
The court has been told that five soldiers who provided urine samples tested positive for marijuana, while a cupcake wrapper tested positive for the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC.
She said she could not conclude that even if some cupcake wrappers were lost, it would demonstrate “a systemic disregard for the prosecution’s obligation to preserve relevant evidence.” She allowed the evidence concerning test results on the wrapper.
“Others were giggling and laughing,” she said, while another woman was “eating countless chips and smoking like crazy.” She said at one point it was reported a group of people fell down laughing.
An order to halt fire was given, and medical attention was sought for the members.
“Because it is a training school, they are firing for courses, so there are people observing the fall of the shot.
“These members were all members of gun detachments that were preparing to aim and fire live ammunition from howitzers in the training area.
During his closing arguments, Reede said Cogswell gave contradictory statements to military police and tried to imply that the soldiers could have been adding cannabis to the cupcakes themselves.
Defence lawyer Ian Kasper did not present evidence on the merits of the case but has denied the accusations against his client.
Outside the courtroom, an effort by Cogswell to make a statement to reporters was cut short by her lawyer.