The lawyer of a former police officer known as Agent 728 is seeking to have the assault charges against her dismissed, claiming the officer is the victim of back-room manoeuvring.
Stefanie Trudeau is the officer who was caught on videotape trying to arrest an artist on Papineau Ave. in 2012, and at the time the images circulated around the world.
Trudeau was charged with assault in 2014, and her trial began in October.
One month after the trial began the Crown wrapped up its case, saying it had no more witnesses to present. The Crown called many artists who live in the building where Rudi Occhietti was handcuffed for drinking beer on the sidewalk.
The Crown also entered as evidence a recording of a phone call made by Trudeau to her wife, in which she repeatedly insulted Occhietti and his friends as, among other comments unsuitable for print, a bunch of guitar-scratching red squares from the Plateau.
Trudeau's lawyer had tried to block using that recording as evidence because it was a private conversation, but the judge ruled it was admissible.
The defence has now begun its case, and it will argue that Trudeau was in her rights as a police officer to arrest Occhietti because he was violating the law by drinking alcohol in public.
Lawyers are also expected to argue that Occhietti and the others arrested and charged following the incident only agreed to file charges against Trudeau in exchange for having their own charges dropped.
One investigator even admitted to receiving a call from the public security ministry, just as the case garnered enormous media attention.
For the defence, that becomes proof Trudeau was the victim of political manoeuvring.
Her trial continues until Friday.
