Prosecutor says drugs had ‘major role’ in murder case with no clear motive
Crown prosecutor Maurice Blanchard says that although there was no clear motive put forward in the convictions of Sean Patrick Patterson and Henry Pottie for their roles in the murder of Jamie Leard, he believes drug use was the underlying reason for the murder.
On Friday, September 15, Henry Pottie was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the murder of Jamie Leard, minus some time to account for time served in remand and time served in solitary confinement. Friday’s hearing was the final one regarding the tragic killing of 38-year-old Leard, who many remembered as a well-loved, quiet, and kind-hearted man.
On May 2, 2023, Pottie pled guilty to manslaughter, admitting to a role in the confrontation that ended in Sean Patrick Patterson shooting Leard on May 25, 2021. He also admitted to helping dispose of Leard’s body, conceal the crime, and mislead police and family members who were looking for Leard.
Pottie has been held in remand since he was arrested on June 5, 2021. He was placed in segregation several times since then, as a result of the court’s no contact order between himself and Leard’s convicted murderer, Patterson. The court typically credits time served before conviction at a rate of 1.5 days for each day served, and Crown and defense lawyers agreed to an additional credit of 45 days to account for the time Pottie spent in segregation.… Continue
‘I will never see him again’: mother of Jamie Leard addresses court
It was two years and two months after Jamie Leard was shot and killed by his former friends in Upper Cape, New Brunswick, that his mother Doris Leard had the chance to speak in court, and tell one of her son’s killers about the impact of his actions on May 25, 2021.
“I miss Jamie so much,” Leard told the Moncton courtroom last week. “He is never coming home again. I will never see him again.”
Leard said she called and texted Jamie almost daily, to see how he was, and tell him she loved him. “Now I can’t, and never will be able to again,” said the grieving mother.
Leard talked about a number of routines and rituals that are now lost to her forever, including dinners at her home with her son, annual visits to family in PEI, and Christmas and birthday celebrations. “I will never have grandchildren,” said Leard, “as he was my only child.”
In addition to the overwhelming grief for the loss of her son, Leard expressed fear and discomfort in her own home. “Every time a car goes by. I get scared. I’m scared that they might get out and set my house on fire,” Leard told the court.
Leard was given time to read her victim impact statement on July 25, during a sentencing hearing for Sean Patterson, one of two men who has pled guilty to a role in Jamie Leard’s death.… Continue