Neighbour spotted woodsplitter at accused B.C. legislature clerk's home
CBC
A neighbour of the man described as the former "CEO" of B.C.'s legislative assembly says he saw a woodsplitter and trailer purchased with public funds parked outside Craig James's Victoria-area home.
Testifying at James's breach-of-trust trial Monday, James Cassels said he saw the woodsplitter once and spotted the trailer parked on a pad outside James's residence, at another point, with a load full of bark mulch.
Both items were purchased for use in an emergency at the legislature where James — responsible for overseeing the administration and resources of the seat of government power in British Columbia — worked as clerk.
While James is also accused of improperly claiming a payout of more than a quarter-million dollars, the allegations surrounding the woodsplitter and trailer have gained far more public attention.
Cassels told Crown prosecutor David Butcher that he knew about the items from media reports.
"There's not really much to tell," Cassels told Butcher when he asked for specifics of the bark mulch sighting.
"Just that it was parked in the spot with bark mulch."
"How much bark mulch was in it?" Butcher continued. "Did you see what happened to the bark mulch?"
"No, I did not see what happened, but I assumed it was used to spread around the ground. We all have bark mulch in the front of our properties."
Cassels' time on the stand — shoehorned into ongoing testimony from the current clerk of the legislative assembly — lasted only about 20 minutes.
James faces three counts of breach of trust and two counts of fraud in relation to allegations that he used his position for personal gain.
In addition to the allegations related to the retirement payout and the woodsplitter and trailer, James is also accused of improperly filing expense claims for dozens of items ranging from cufflinks and cushions to suits and beekeeping books.
James has pleaded not guilty.
Cassels said he and James had been neighbours for decades but did not spend much time in each other's homes.
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