Lisa Banfield - The First Victim

He was a man with a short temper and a long history of violence. And we're learning more about the patterns of behaviour of the man who went on to kill 22 Nova Scotians more than two years ago. Today we heard from the woman who spent 19-years as his common law partner. Excerpts of audio recordings and video re-enactments were played to the Mass Casualty Committee today giving us our first glimpse of the personal trauma Lisa Banfield experienced. She will be a live witness this Friday, but won't be subjected to repeating the details of that April 2020 weekend, nor will she be cross-examined by the lawyers representing families. So why is her additional testimony important? Erin Breen Q.C. is a St. John's, Newfoundland-based lawyer with the firm Sullivan Breen Defence. She was at today's hearing as a representative for a coalition of groups including Avalon Sexual Assault Centre, LEAF and Women's Wellness. She speaks to the importance of this hearing and of the themes of intimate partner violence and how this may just help bring the "private, family business" out of the darkness for other victims and to end the culture of blaming people for the actions of others.