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Surrey Six development can't be reported

B.C. Supreme Court trial saw major turn of events Monday morning, but the details can't be made public due to a judicial publication ban.
5420surreyeileenNov.25
Eileen Mohan speaks to reporters outside B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver Monday during a break in the Surrey Six trial. Mohan's son Chris was one of six men murdered in a Surrey highrise in October 2007.


Monday morning saw a major development occur in the Surrey Six trial in Vancouver, but the general public cannot hear about it for now due to a publication ban.

The Twitterverse erupted, as court reporters sat muzzled by a judicial order banning publication of a development in the case, which resumed Monday morning after being adjourned for a week.

"Interim publication ban imposed at #surreysix trial so can't report today's happenings," tweeted Leader reporter Sheila Reynolds, who is covering the trial and is tweeting under @sheilaleader.

"Due to yet another publication ban I can not report what is happening at #SurreySix murder case. It is a major development," tweeted CTV's Lisa Rossington under the handle @ctv_lisa.

"Our secret courts. Major developments at #SurreySix trial, but media ban means only those in court this morning know what's happening," wrote Vancouver Sun editor in chief Harold Munro (@haroldmunro).

The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday (Nov. 27) afternoon.

Cody Haevischer, Matthew Johnston and Michael Le are on trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver for first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection with the Oct. 19, 2007 mass murder of six men in the Balmoral Tower apartment building in North Surrey.

They are accused of killing alleged drug dealers Edward Narong, Ryan Bartolomeo, and brothers Corey and Michael Lal, and bystanders Edward Schellenberg and Christopher Mohan. Several family members of the victims attended court Monday, and Christopher Mohan's  mom Eileen spoke to media afterwards.

Monday was to be the first day of testimony from one of the Crown's main witnesses, who can only be identified as K.M. due to a publication ban. The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday afternoon.

The trial of Haevischer, Le and Johnston is expected to last up to a year. Jamie Bacon is also charged in the murder of Corey Lal, but he will be tried at a later date.