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“It is the Crown’s theory that Ken Carter hired Steve and Heather Walton to embark on a campaign to discredit and harass Ms. Taylor,” Love said.

“As part of this campaign to discredit and harass Ms. Taylor, the Crown alleges that Ken Carter paid the Waltons over $800,000,” Love said.

“Some of this was then used to — among other things — employ members of the Calgary Police Service as players in the harassment of Ms. Taylor.

“We expect to demonstrate by the evidence that Ken Carter had knowledge that the Waltons were doing this and has made various comments in text messages indicating that.”

Love said the Waltons conducted surveillance on Taylor on behalf of Carter and used CPS members to assist them.

“Akele Taylor was followed and watched on multiple occasions over several months,” she told jurors.

“Some of her acquaintances, friends and family were not only approached to provide negative information about her and her past, but they were also offered large sums of money to do so.”

GPS tracking devices were used, and they even tried to gain access to Taylor’s condo by first attempting to get a key and then trying to buy the unit.

The Waltons also paid police officers to obtain private information from police databases, she said.

“The reasons and motivations for their actions were to wear Akele Taylor down, push her over the edge and force her to stop fighting for access to or custody of . . . the child she shared with Ken Carter,” Love said.

All three are charged with criminal harassment, while the Waltons face additional charges of offering police officers money to commit a crime and unlawful storage of firearms.

The trial is set to last into October.

KMartin@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @KMartinCourts