Latest news with #Plover
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
Bailey McCourt death: No talk of custody at court hearing before killing
When James Plover was convicted on July 4 of choking someone and uttering threats, in a rage that also saw him destroy a table with a machete, his defence lawyer and the prosecutor took no issue with delaying his sentencing for up to 10 weeks, pending a psychiatric report. In the meantime, the former jail guard was to be released, and a recording of the hearing in a provincial court in Kelowna, B.C., suggests there was no discussion in light of his conviction of potential risks he posed out of custody — he had already been out on $500 bail, with conditions, ahead of his hearing. Less than three hours after the court adjourned, police were called to a parking lot about four kilometres from the courthouse, where Plover's estranged wife, Bailey McCourt, was gravely injured in an attack. She later died and Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing. Story continues below advertisement The identities of the victims in Plover's previous case are the subject of a publication ban. The death of McCourt in the parking lot attack that also seriously injured another woman has galvanized advocates for bail reform and better protection for victims of intimate partner violence. Protesters including McCourt's mother rallied outside the Kelowna court complex last week on the day of Plover's appearance on the murder charge. In the recording of the July 4 hearing reviewed by The Canadian Press, provincial court judge David Ruse says Plover's relationship with the choking victim had been deteriorating in June 2024 and was 'described as terrible, tumultuous and stressful.' Ruse said Plover and the victim became embroiled in a heated argument, and he choked the complainant as evidenced by neck bruising shown in photographs presented to the court. Ruse said in his oral reasons for judgment that Plover denied making threats to kill anyone other than himself, and he attempted suicide after the violent altercation. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The judge said Plover at one point grabbed a machete and destroyed a dining room table and other items of 'emotional value' to the complainant, and called his parents to whom he expressed 'suicidal ideations.' Story continues below advertisement The judge said Plover's mother attended the scene, and acted as an 'intermediary' between him and police before he was arrested. Ruse said Plover had testified that the choking incident was in 'self-defence,' and he had been 'mortified' by his actions to the point of wanting to take his own life. The judge didn't accept Plover's evidence. 'This self-loathing for his own actions is inconsistent with his destruction of things that he knew were precious to the complainant,' Judge Ruse said. 'These acts of destruction are consistent with anger directed at the complainant.' Ruse said the complainant did exaggerate at times, including testifying that 30 police cars had responded to the scene, when the judge said there were about a dozen. But the judge accepted the complainant's evidence and found the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Plover had uttered threats that 'were consistent with an intention to manipulate or control the complainant.' The court hearing turned to a discussion of a pre-sentence report for Plover after Ruse's reasons concluded, and defence lawyer Cory Armour said he and Crown prosecutor Catherine Rezansoff agreed that there would be 'some benefit' to Plover undergoing a psychiatric assessment. Rezansoff told the court of a potential weeks-long wait for the report due to a 'backlog,' and Armour said there was no issue with delays of up to 10 weeks since his client had been convicted. Story continues below advertisement The court set Plover's next court date for mid-September, and the hearing adjourned around 9:56 a.m. Just before 1 p.m., Kelowna RCMP say they received a report about an assault with a weapon, in the attack on McCourt and the other woman. Plover was arrested and charged with second-degree murder the next day. Lawyer Armour did not respond to a request for comment. An online resume says Plover previously worked as a jail guard for the City of Kelowna and Penticton, and says he has an associate degree in criminal justice from Okanagan College. The City of Kelowna and the Kelowna RCMP confirmed in emailed statements that Plover was employed by the Commissionaires, which was contracted by the city jail guard services. 'He worked as a cell guard at the Kelowna RCMP detachment between June 2017 and November 2018,' the city's statement said. The Commissionaires BC said in an emailed statement that Plover worked for them between 2016 and 2018 before resigning. 'During his time with us, Mr. Plover held an Enhanced Reliability Clearance, which is a federal-level clearance that requires extensive background investigations, including checks on character references, employment history, financial integrity, and criminal records,' the Commissionaires BC said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement 'This level of clearance is only granted to individuals who meet rigorous credibility and trustworthiness standards, and it is monitored throughout the duration of employment.' 'We categorically condemn all forms of harassment, violence, and spousal abuse,' its statement said. More recently Plover worked as a manager at a Kelowna Boston Pizza, including the night before the 2024 attack. The restaurant's owners, who were listed as references on the resume, declined to comment on Plover's time working there. Plover's resume lists one of his skills as 'conflict management.'
The Province
4 days ago
- The Province
No talk of custody when B.C. man was convicted of choking. Then, his ex-partner was killed
James Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of his ex-partner, Bailey McCourt Published Jul 15, 2025 • Last updated 3 hours ago • 4 minute read Bailey Plover is shown in an undated handout photo. Kelowna RCMP say Plover and another woman were assaulted in an attack on July 4. She later died of her injuries, and her estranged husband James Plover has been charged with second-degree murder. Photo by HO / The Canadian Press When James Plover was convicted on July 4 of choking someone and uttering threats, in a rage that also saw him destroy a table with a machete, his defence lawyer and the prosecutor took no issue with delaying his sentencing for up to 10 weeks, pending a psychiatric report. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In the meantime, the former jail guard was to be released, and a recording of the hearing in a provincial court in Kelowna suggests there was no discussion in light of his conviction of potential risks he posed out of custody — he had already been out on $500 bail, with conditions, ahead of his hearing. Less than three hours after the court adjourned, police were called to a parking lot about four kilometres from the courthouse, where Plover's estranged wife, Bailey McCourt, was gravely injured in an attack. She later died and Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing. The identities of the victims in Plover's previous case are the subject of a publication ban. The death of McCourt in the parking lot attack that also seriously injured another woman has galvanized advocates for bail reform and better protection for victims of intimate partner violence. Protesters including McCourt's mother rallied outside the Kelowna court complex last week on the day of Plover's appearance on the murder charge. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the recording of the July 4 hearing reviewed by The Canadian Press, provincial court Judge David Ruse says Plover's relationship with the choking victim had been deteriorating in June 2024 and was 'described as terrible, tumultuous and stressful.' Ruse said Plover and the victim became embroiled in a heated argument, and he choked the complainant as evidenced by neck bruising shown in photographs presented to the court. Ruse said in his oral reasons for judgment that Plover denied making threats to kill anyone other than himself, and he attempted suicide after the violent altercation. The judge said Plover at one point grabbed a machete and destroyed a dining room table and other items of 'emotional value' to the complainant, and called his parents to whom he expressed 'suicidal ideations.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The judge said Plover's mother attended the scene, and acted as an 'intermediary' between him and police before he was arrested. Ruse said Plover had testified that the choking incident was in 'self-defence,' and he had been 'mortified' by his actions to the point of wanting to take his own life. The judge didn't accept Plover's evidence. 'This self-loathing for his own actions is inconsistent with his destruction of things that he knew were precious to the complainant,' Ruse said. 'These acts of destruction are consistent with anger directed at the complainant.' Ruse said the complainant did exaggerate at times, including testifying that 30 police cars had responded to the scene, when the judge said there were about a dozen. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But the judge accepted the complainant's evidence and found the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Plover had uttered threats that 'were consistent with an intention to manipulate or control the complainant.' The court hearing turned to a discussion of a pre-sentence report for Plover after Ruse's reasons concluded, and defence lawyer Cory Armour said he and Crown prosecutor Catherine Rezansoff agreed that there would be 'some benefit' to Plover undergoing a psychiatric assessment. Rezansoff told the court of a potential weeks-long wait for the report due to a 'backlog,' and Armour said there was no issue with delays of up to 10 weeks since his client had been convicted. The court set Plover's next court date for mid-September, and the hearing adjourned at around 9:56 a.m. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Just before 1 p.m., Kelowna RCMP say they received a report about an assault with a weapon, in the attack on McCourt and the other woman. Plover was arrested and charged with second-degree murder the next day. Lawyer Armour didn't respond to a request for comment. An online resume says Plover previously worked as a jail guard for the City of Kelowna and Penticton, and says he has an associate degree in criminal justice from Okanagan College. The City of Kelowna and the Kelowna RCMP confirmed in emailed statements that Plover was employed by the Commissionaires, which was contracted by the city jail guard services. 'He worked as a cell guard at the Kelowna RCMP detachment between June 2017 and November 2018,' the city's statement said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Commissionaires B.C. said in an emailed statement that Plover worked for them between 2016 and 2018 before resigning. 'During his time with us, Mr. Plover held an Enhanced Reliability Clearance, which is a federal-level clearance that requires extensive background investigations, including checks on character references, employment history, financial integrity and criminal records,' the Commissionaires B.C. said in a statement. 'This level of clearance is only granted to individuals who meet rigorous credibility and trustworthiness standards, and it is monitored throughout the duration of employment. 'We categorically condemn all forms of harassment, violence and spousal abuse,' its statement said. More recently Plover worked as a manager at a Kelowna Boston Pizza, including the night before the 2024 attack. The restaurant's owners, who were listed as references on the resume, declined to comment on Plover's time working there. Plover's resume lists one of his skills as 'conflict management.' Read More Crime News News News GlobeNewswire
Vancouver Sun
11-07-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Beating death of Bailey McCourt a shocking indictment of catch-and-release justice
VICTORIA — The murder of Bailey McCourt, beaten to death in Kelowna last week, is the most shocking indictment yet of what has been called a 'catch-and-release' justice system. McCourt was bludgeoned with a hammer in a parking lot on the afternoon of Friday, July 4. She died in hospital, leaving behind daughters aged three and nine. The accused in the case, her estranged husband James Plover, had been in a Kelowna courtroom earlier on the very day of the attack. There he was convicted on three counts of threatening and one of assault by choking McCourt. He was nevertheless released pending sentencing. There was no new bail hearing — so said the Crown prosecutor in the case — because he was considered to be bound by the terms of the release in earlier court proceedings against him. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Those included an order to stay a certain distance from the complainant, McCourt. Following the July 4 attack, Plover was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Plover made a brief appearance in court Thursday by video link. More than 100 people filled the courtroom in a show of support for McCourt. 'Outside the courthouse, friends, family, and even strangers gathered in her memory — some carrying signs and flowers,' Kevin Charach of CTV News reported. 'The case has triggered widespread outrage and renewed demands for stronger protections for victims of intimate partner violence.' At about the same time, McCourt's mother, Karen Fehr, was saying that her daughter had been 'living in fear for months,' without the courts offering her any protection. 'This is not the first time something like this has happened,' she told CTV. 'It has happened way too many times.' The B.C. Ministry of Attorney General responded to the outrage at week's end with a statement that was as brief as it was perfunctory. 'The attorney general is championing work with the federal government, which is responsible for the Criminal Code, to strengthen bail and sentencing laws, as well as issues that have long been overlooked at the national level, like stronger protections against intimate partner and gender-based violence, and the need to re-evaluate risk in cases involving repeat sex offenders.' Premier David Eby likewise said earlier in the week that the case underscored why the government was pressing for bail reform, especially in cases involving intimate partner violence. But it should be recalled that when Eby made a similar complaint last year about the need for greater bail reform, the then federal Justice Minister Arif Virani pushed back. The federal government had 'listened to the provinces and territories when they asked for changes in the Criminal Code' regarding bail. Specifically, Ottawa had toughed the 'reverse onus' provision, whereby a repeat, violent or other high-risk offender can be denied bail unless he/she can persuade the court that he/she is not a risk to public safety. Now it was up to the provinces to enforce the new provision, said Virani. 'Provinces are responsible for the administration of bail, and more needs to be done to make sure police and prosecutors have the tools they need for effective monitoring and enforcement.' Before jumping to the conclusion that the Kelowna case represents a failure of bail reform, the public first needs to know more about what actually happened in court in the lead up to the attack on McCourt. Plover appeared in court June 23 of last year charged with one count of assault and one of uttering threats. He was released on $500 bond and 'extensive protective conditions,' including an order to keep his distance from McCourt. A day later — we're still in June 2024 — the charges were upgraded to two more counts of uttering threats. The conditions of his release were continued going forward to this year. Then came last week's conviction on all four counts, followed by a release pending evaluation, with sentencing set for Sept. 16. Did the prosecutor oppose Plover's release, given his convictions on all four counts? Was there any attempt to warn or protect McCourt, given her estranged husband's conviction on making threats and assault by choking? The week ended with the Opposition Conservatives calling for a fuller accounting from the prosecution service and from the NDP government itself. They've also sought a coroner's inquest, though that couldn't happen so long as the accused is before the court. The full accounting should start at the top, with Eby. He seldom passes up an opportunity to grandstand in cases like this. Remember two years ago, when he was 'white hot angry' over three stabbings in Vancouver? Or last year, when he vowed to 'get to the bottom' of how the accused killer of Tori Dunn was out on bail at the time she was stabbed in her Surrey home? Eby, the former head of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association and author of How to Sue the Police, likes to recast himself as a tough guy, crime fighter. But he's talked more than he's delivered, witness the latest failure of the justice system to protect a mother of two from being beaten to death in broad daylight in Kelowna. vpalmer@
Global News
08-07-2025
- Global News
Kelowna mother's death at hands of ex-husband shows need for judicial changes: family
Bailey McCourt was only 32 years old and a mother to two young children when her life was brutally cut short, allegedly at the hands of her former husband. 'This is very horrific and a senseless act,' McCourt's uncle, Morey Maslak told Global News. ' It's is all very raw. We are trying to make sense of this.' Kelowna RCMP were called to a parking lot at the corner of Spall Road and Enterprise Way at 12:45 p.m. Friday in response to what they called a hit-and-run and assault. It was quickly determined that two women were viciously attacked. Police said a weapon was used but would not specify what type. Both women were rushed to hospital, where McCourt died. Police arrested a suspect off of Glenmore Road not long after the assault and charged James Plover, McCourt's estranged husband, with second-degree murder after McCourt succumbed to her injuries. Story continues below advertisement McCourt's family is now left not only feeling immense sadness and pain, but anger on top of it as the accused had a history of domestic violence. 'We want to understand how we ended up in this position,' said Maslak. 'How many times is this story going to be played before we can affect some change. There's something wrong in this society that we are having to have these discussions over and over again.' According to court documents, Plover was charged with assault by choking and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in June, 2024. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The case was classified as a 'K file', which indicates intimate partner violence. In August, 2024, McCourt posted on her social media, 'To anyone receiving messages from James about me and my family please screenshot these messages and send to me. He is clearly unstable and this is not okay. I am scared for my family's safety and need your help by getting these messages to my lawyer and crown counsel.' 'That's what's really frustrating is that the system is very aware, the criminal legal system, the family law system are aware that of the warning signs of potential lethal violence,' said Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of the Battered Women's Support Services. 'And this case was screaming of that, like just screaming, 'Lethal violence is imminent.'' Story continues below advertisement 1:49 Increase in domestic violence concerns On Friday, just hours before the deadly attack, a judge convicted Plover of three counts of uttering threats and one count of assault by strangling. Plover's sentencing hearing was scheduled for September of this year. Calling the incident horrific, B.C.'s premier said the tragedy highlights the urgent need for judicial changes. 'We've been pressing the federal government aggressively to improve our bail system, to make sure that violent offenders are kept behind bars,' David Eby said on Monday. 'Tragic timely reminder of the importance of that work and we hope the federal government works very quickly to get that in place.' A GoFundMe has now been launched to raise funds for the heartbroken family mourning a woman described as a bright light. Story continues below advertisement 'Funny, fun-loving, easygoing, she was a devoted mother,' Maslak said. 'She loved her kids more than anything.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Piping Plovers spotted at Montrose Beach
CHICAGO – They're back! Two Piping Plovers were spotted at Montrose Beach Friday afternoon. Chicago Piping Plovers confirmed one of the birds is Pippin, while the birding community believes the other is Uncle Larry out of Michigan. The Plovers annual arrival comes earlier than years past. They may be sticking around for summer or just stopping over en route to their usual breeding territory. The Piping Plover vanished from Chicago and Cook County in 1948. Nearly extinct from the region, the bird was declared federally endangered in the 1980s. SEE ALSO: Group seeks volunteers to monitor this year's Piping Plovers In 2019, a pair of Piping Plovers began nesting at Montrose Beach. Dubbed Monty and Rose, the pair returned in 2020 and in 2021. Both passed away in 2022. Their native-born son, Imani, mated with a captive-reared Plover, Searocket, and had four chicks. Three of them passed away within a couple of weeks. WGN-TV is still waiting on word of sightings of Monty and Rose's son Imani and grandchild Nagamo. Great Lakes Piping Plovers are an endangered species and are federally protected by the Endangered Species Act. Chicago Piping Plovers is a joint collaboration between the Chicago Bird Alliance, the Chicago Ornithological Society and the Illinois Ornithological Society. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
