Witness claims police intimidation

Testifies at Jeremy Hall murder trial that Hamilton detective also provided details of Billy Mason case

Four opaque white screens were lowered like giant window shades, blocking a view of the front of the courtroom from spectators and media.

The screens, sometimes used to conceal the identity of children testifying in court, were used Thursday to guard the anonymity of a witness called by Jeremy Hall’s defence team in the Billy Mason murder case.

The witness, called Jane Doe in court, testified that a Hamilton police officer intimidated her during an investigation in which she provided information years ago — just as Hall’s spouse, Carol Anne Eaton, has claimed.

Jane Doe’s testimony is part of an ongoing voir dire hearing that Judge Andrew Goodman will use to determine if Eaton’s statements to police implicating Hall are admissible at the trial. He will release that decision early next week.

Mason went missing in February 2006 and his body was never found. Hall was charged by Hamilton police in October 2010 with Mason’s murder. Hall was convicted by a jury on March 5, 2013, but last year the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the verdict and ordered him a new trial.

In 2010, Eaton helped OPP and Hamilton police crack the Mason case, but later said officers pressured her into co-operating.

In the current trial, which began last month, Eaton has repeatedly alleged one officer was the main culprit back then: Hamilton homicide detective Ian Matthews.

Jane Doe’s testimony was clearly an effort by the defence to bolster Eaton’s claims about Matthews, even though the investigation she was citing had nothing to do with the Mason case.

“Did (Matthews) ever threaten you with physical harm?” Hall’s lawyer, Dirk Derstine, asked Jane Doe.

“Yes,” she said.

Jane Doe also suggested Matthews improperly fed her information about investigations, including the Mason homicide — mirroring Eatons’ claim that police “scripted” details for her to repeat.

“Did (Matthews) ever tell you details about the investigation?” asked Derstine.

“Yes ... More than I needed to know or think I should have known.”

While an OPP officer Eaton accused of intimidation had an opportunity to defend himself in court last week, Matthews has no such recourse. He died by suicide in 2013.