Man charged with harassing judge says ‘son is the victim’
SASKATOON — Nobody told Christopher Richard Hahn to stop putting derogatory posters about a family court judge outside a Saskatoon courthouse, he says.
Hahn, who is charged with criminally harassing Justice Shawn Smith, told a jury Thursday the posters were an outcry of frustration after “getting nowhere” in court to regain access to his son.
“My son is the victim here, not Judge Smith,” Hahn said Thursday afternoon during a closing address at his Court of Queen’s Bench jury trial.
Hahn is accused of harassing Smith between 2009 and 2012 after Smith issued a family court ruling Hahn didn’t agree with.
Crown prosecutor William Burge said during that time frame, Hahn put up four different posters about Smith near the family law and Queen’s Bench courts in downtown Saskatoon.
The first few poster incidents didn’t frighten Smith, Burge said. He grew more concerned in June 2011, when Hahn confronted Smith as he was leaving court for lunch.
Seeing a larg er, fitter man who was “barely in contro l , ” Smith feared for what would happen next, Burge told jurors.
After the third poster appeared, Smith called the police, and asked an officer to speak to Hahn about his behaviour, Burge said. He didn’t want them to lay any charges.
During the trial, the jury saw an April 2012 video of Hahn making a brief visit to the family court office when he had no case before that court, Burge said. Hahn’s visit made Smith feel he was in “imminent peril,” Burge said. More posters went up two days later.
Burge argued Hahn gave the judge a reason to feel afraid, which is an important element of proving the charge.
“This is an irrational, intimidating bully,” Burge said.
Hahn, who is representing himself, said the criminal proceedings against him are the latest chapter in a long string of injustices against him by a corrupt justice system.
An old mistake stopped him from getting a fair shake in family court, he said.
“I felt like I was a black guy going up in front of the KKK or a Jew going up in front of Hitler. I was in a nowin situation,” he told the jury.
Hahn questioned why Smith didn’t take extra security measures when coming to and from work if he was afraid for his safety.
Hahn said he’s never been banned from a courthouse, has no history of violence, and no criminal record.
Hahn also used his closing remarks to criticize Smith.
Justice Ralph Ottenbreit will give his instructions to the eight-man, four-woman jury Friday morning before they deliberate.