Skip to content

Former bishop guilty of polygamy involving isolated B.C. sect

CRANBROOK, B.C. — A former bishop of an isolated religious commune in British Columbia has been convicted of practising polygamy after a decades-long legal fight launched by the provincial government.
7829331_web1_JMC105417233

CRANBROOK, B.C. — A former bishop of an isolated religious commune in British Columbia has been convicted of practising polygamy after a decades-long legal fight launched by the provincial government.

Winston Blackmore was alleged to have married 24 women as part of so-called ”celestial” marriages involving residents in the tiny community of Bountiful.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sheri Ann Donegan says the collective force of evidence against Blackmore proves that he was married to Jane Blackmore and 24 other women at the same time.

Blackmore’s lawyer has already told the court that he will launch a constitutional challenge of Canada’s polygamy laws if his client is found guilty.

Blackmore’s co-defendant James Oler is accused of having five wives and Justice Sheri Ann Donegan has yet to announce a verdict for him.

More coming.