A minor infraction and a huge legal bill
Ex-soldier acquitted before a military court, but owes legal counsel $8,000
OTTAWA— A former army warrant officer, accused of mouthing a schoolyard taunt to a junior officer at an official dinner, was acquitted of disciplinary charges before a court martial on Thursday, but has been left holding thousands of dollars in private legal bills.
Wade Pear, a veteran of multiple ground tours in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Cyprus, was tried before the military tribunal, even though he’s been a civilian for 2 1⁄ years.
2 It is a controversial case that has raised the question of whether ex-members of the Canadian Armed Forces should face military justice — and the possibility of prison time — for minor infractions after they have retired.
The court martial, at Garrison Petawawa, Ont., included testimony from 12 witnesses over several days and stems from an incident in November 2012 where Pear — attending a mess dinner — was accused of drunkenness, insubordination and making disparaging remarks.
He said he’s relieved by the verdict, but contends his reputation was left in tatters by the allegations, which he said were false. Military prosecutors tried on two separate occasions to get him to accept deals in exchange for guilty pleas.
“I’m glad I didn’t do it,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “I couldn’t do that because I knew I wasn’t guilty. To me that’s a cop-out. Right?”
Pear says up to $8,000 in private legal fees were run up trying to defend himself during the 39-month ordeal. He said he turned to outside lawyers because he didn’t trust the military system to act in his best interests, but eventually had to accept a uniformed lawyer who “did a great job.”