Defence questions warrant used in case against accused letter-bomber

A lawyer for a Winnipeg man accused of sending letter bombs, including one that went off and seriously injured a lawyer, is questioning the validity of warrants used in the investigation.

Jeremy Kostiuk told a provincial court judge it appears police left out important information when they applied for warrants against Guido Amsel.

He says it appears police did not mention that tests that pointed to explosive residue on Amsel’s hands were preliminary and still needed to be verified in a lab.

A provincial court judge is hearing arguments about the evidence this week in advance of Amsel’s trial, which is slated to start next month.

Amsel is facing five counts of attempted murder and several explosives-related charges after letter bombs were sent to his exwife and two law firms in 2015.

Maria Mitousis, a lawyer who had represented Amsel’s ex-wife in the couple’s divorce, lost her right hand and suffered other injuries when one of the packages detonated.

Kostiuk asked provincial court judge Tracey Lord to allow him to cross-examine the police officers on how they gathered evidence and documented the investigation.

“There are glaring questions, in my submission, as to the good faith of the Winnipeg police,” Kostiuk told court Monday.

Kostiuk said the court must determine whether the left-out information in the application for warrants “was a good-faith accident, or negligence or deceit.”