Court orders halt to book’s distribution

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick — New Brunswick’s highest court has ordered the publishers of the book “Terror: Murder and Panic in New Brunswick” to stop distribution of the book. The New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruled that the book might prejudice the right of convicted murderer Allan Legere — subject of the book — to a fair trial when he faces charges of additional murders.

The book was written by Newcastle weekly newspaper editor Rick McLean and Andre Veniot, a radio news reporter in Moncton. It concerns events in the summer of 1989 when the Miramichi area of northeastern New Brunswick was terrorized by four killings. It’s estimated by the publishers, McLelland and Stewart, that as many as 30,000 copies of the book have been sold.

Legere, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of an elderly storekeeper, escaped from prison and was at large for six months during the time the murders occurred.

In a court hearing last year, Legere attempted to have the book banned from publication in the province on the premise it would prevent him from receiving a fair trial on the four murder charges. The request was turned down at that time, but the Appeal Court has reversed that decision.

McLean says he’s mystified by the court decision. He says the book is mainly about the tough time the area went through during the time of the killings and the information about Legere was based on previously published media accounts.

Legere will go to trial in September in a provincial court near Fredericton, charged with the killing of a Roman Catholic priest, the Rev. James Smith; sisters Donna and Linda Daughney and elderly storekeeper Annie Flam.

Ross Ingram is a New Brunswick free-lance broadcaster and newspaper editor.