The canadian court found the father guilty of 145 children in polygamy
Moscow. July 25. INTERFAX.RU — Court of British Columbia (Canada) recognized the 61-year-old Winston Blackmore guilty of polygamy according to Yahoo News.
According to the materials of the case, he had 24 wives and 145 children. Also guilty of polygamy recognized his former brother-in-law who has five wives.
According to local law, men are threatened with imprisonment up to five years.
Blackmore and his cousin are former bishops of the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. They both live in British Columbia in the Mormon community, to which belong about 1,500 people. The community lives in seclusion, and in almost everything provides itself.
Blackmore for 25 years, married 24 women. He said that he did what God told him to.
The judge stressed that her ruling does not apply to religious views of the defendants, but only with the question of polygamy. All marriages were concluded according to the Mormon tradition.
Prosecutors tried to sue Blackmore 20 years ago, but then the case has not been given, as there were fears that the trial could be construed as religious persecution. However, in 2011 the Supreme court of British Columbia ruled that the consequences of polygamy are a limitation to freedom of religion.
As noted, the main branch of the Mormon Church renounced polygamy.