A British Columbia man living in a polygamist sect has 25 wives and 101 children with brides as young as 15, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police allege.
Winston Blackmore, 52, is charged with one count of practicing polygamy as a member of the Bountiful sect, which has about 1,000 members.
In an affidavit filed with the provincial Supreme Court, the RCMP alleges since 1976, Blackmore had nine child brides, four of whom were 15, CTV reported. In Vancouver, he told reporters “that’s wrong” as documents were being filed for a pre-trial hearing.
The RCMP named four of the brides who allegedly had their first children by Blackmore before they turned 18. Federal law was changed in 2008 to raise the age of marital consent to 16 from 14.
His lawyers have said his defense will be the ban on polygamy violates Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for April, but Blackmore’s lawyers are trying to have the case thrown out on procedural issues.
I couldn’t care less how many spouses anyone wants to have. If it’s mutual consent, you’re not harming anyone else – stay out of their lives.
I don’t get it. Where are all the “Marriage is between one man and one woman” people? Any story about gays brings out at least two or three of them. But a story about a man with twenty-five wives doesn’t?
Weird.
Wow! Canada is really against equal marriage rights for all.