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.
Judge Robert Dysart called the murder of Leard “a senseless and needless tragedy,” and extended sympathy to the Leard family. No clear motive was ever put forward by prosecutors or defense attorneys to explain the killing of Jamie Leard, though the struggle to access illegal drugs was a recurring theme in testimony at Pottie’s trial.
