SASKATOON – A Saskatoon-area man accused of attempting to kill a retired RCMP officer has pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated assault.
Ryan Dalton Kelly Bear, who is 23, entered the plea Thursday during closing arguments at his Saskatoon trial on a charge of attempted murder.
Bear’s trial has heard that Robert Laidlaw was attacked on the side of a road near Outlook, Sask., last May while helping the accused repair a flat tire.
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Defence lawyer Darren Winegarden has argued that his client simply wanted to steal Laidlaw’s vehicle, and that the former Mountie was inconsistent in his recollections of what Bear said to him.
The Crown has argued that Bear was trying to get away from home in his mother’s stolen SUV, and decided to kill Laidlaw after he got suspicious.
The Crown has stayed a separate count of assault with a weapon against Bear, while Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Murray Acton has reserved decision on the attempted murder charge until Oct. 2.
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