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An independent report by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, released Wednesday, directly contradicts evidence upon which the Supreme Court of Canada relied in setting free a Nova Scotia woman who attempted to hire hit-men to murder her husband. But legal scholars say it is almost certain the court will not reconsider the verdict.

In January, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Nicole Ryan Doucet, who had used the claim of “duress” as a legal defence, admitting she had tried to have her estranged husband killed as a last resort after failing to get RCMP to protect her from her from ongoing abuse.

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While the court found that the duress defence was improperly used, it also ordered an unusual “stay of proceedings” in the prosecution against Ms. Doucet — meaning she would not be tried again. The “abuse which she suffered at the hands of Mr. [Michael] Ryan took an enormous toll on her,” the court ruled and “it would not be fair to subject Ms. Ryan to another trial.”