Reyat appeals Air India trial perjury conviction

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The lawyer for the only man convicted in the 1985 Air India bombings says the jury that found him guilty of perjury had too many options to choose from, but the Crown disagrees.

Inderjit Singh Reyat is appealing his nine-year prison sentence for lying while testifying as a Crown witness during the 2003 trial, in which Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were found not guilty of murder.

Air India flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing 329 people.

Reyat’s lawyer, Ian Donaldson, argues the judge overseeing Reyat’s perjury trial made a mistake telling jurors they each only had to find Reyat lied once out of the 19 times the Crown claims he did, and they didn’t all have to agree on one lie.

But, Crown prosecutor Len Doust says case law shows each juror can accept different parts of the prosecution’s evidence as long as it supports a guilty verdict.

“It’s not a numbers game, in my submission,” Doust says.

One of the three appeal court justices told Donaldson parts of his arguments were rather speculative.

Reyat’s testimony was part of a deal that saw him plead guilty to manslaughter after two baggage handlers at a Japanese airport were killed by a bomb which exploded the same day Air India flight 182 was blown out of the sky, killing everyone on board.

Reyat has already served many years in prison.

The appeal court panel is expected to reserve its decision.

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