HALIFAX – A Nova Scotia man accused of possessing dangerous chemicals and threatening police will not be granted bail yet, a judge decided Tuesday.
A Dartmouth court judge said she had concerns about releasing Christopher Phillips on bail due to concerns about the surety. Phillips’s estranged wife, Gosia Phillips, previously said she would put up $10,000 to have him released from custody.
The case was set aside until next week to set dates for another court appearance. Phillips can apply for bail at any time with a new surety.
“The judge ruled that the surety proposed was not suitable, but that if a proper surety could be produced, she felt Mr. Phillips could be releasable,” said Roland Levesque, Crown attorney for the bail hearing.
Phillips, who had previously hidden his face during court appearances, arrived in a different mood on Tuesday. Stepping out of the sheriff’s vehicle, he shouted, “I love you guys!” He then stopped while he pretended to tie his shoe before gesturing at the officers escorting him and saying, “They’re crazy.”
Watch: Christopher Phillips enters court, Natasha Pace reports.
His lawyer, Mike Taylor, offered no explanation for his client’s behaviour.
“I don’t know what happened when he got out of the sheriff’s van. He seemed the same as he has been all along to me,” he said following the court proceedings.
He added that Phillips understands he can’t be released until a proper plan is in place.
“Obviously, he would be more than happy if he was released,” Taylor said.
Phillips was arrested at an Ottawa hotel in January. He was brought back to Nova Scotia to face charges of uttering threats and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Investigators found osmium tetroxide in a Cole Harbour home that Phillips was renovating, and dozens of other chemicals stacked floor to ceiling inside a home in Grand Desert N.S.
He is alleged to have threatened police with the osmium tetroxide. He told the judge last week he suffers from PTSD and he possessed the chemicals to make money by extracting precious metals.
Read the details in our live blog recap:
With files from The Canadian Press
Comments