A Kitchener man convicted of attempted murder after allegedly convincing his children to drown their mother is getting a new trial.
Pretrial motions in the case of the man, who cannot be named to protect his children’s identities, took place Tuesday.
The man was found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 2010, three years after the unsuccessful drowning attempt, and sentenced to eight years in prison.
During the trial, jurors heard that the man convinced his children their mother was possessed by the devil and wanted to poison them.
His conviction was overturned in February by the Ontario Court of Appeal, and a new trial was ordered.
The appeal court took issue with “inflammatory, vindictive, sarcastic and ridiculing” comments by the Crown that suggested the man was a religious fanatic.