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The camera from the phone points down toward the vehicle seat and shows little, but the initial words on the recording, while faint, can be made out: “You really want to go to war with us?”
That was part of a 50-second video taken in November 2024 that was played Friday in provincial court in Digby, N.S., at the trial of lobster dealer Eric David Thibault, 66, who is charged with intimidation involving allegations he threatened a local exporter.
Over the last three years, Eric Thibault has been accused of extortion and multiple counts of intimidation. But Friday was the first time any of the allegations were tested in court, after three other cases collapsed earlier this week because witnesses had not been subpoenaed.
Geoffrey Jobert, who operates the Lobster Hub Inc. in Meteghan, N.S., testified he was returning from buying groceries when he spotted Eric Thibault and his son, Zacharie Thibault, in a pickup truck flagging him down near his home.
In the days prior, Jobert had spoken publicly about a “crime family” in the area, although he had not named them. He testified the pair were also upset he was buying lobster from a certain fisherman.
