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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Special prosecutor for robbery

By: Katherine Dow

Posted: 08/2/2012 1:00 AM

A special prosecutor from Saskatchewan has been hired to handle the robbery case against Gordon Elijah Muller Mackintosh, son of Manitoba Conservation Minister Gord Mackintosh.

The prosecutor was contacted as soon as the junior Mackintosh turned himself in to police on July 26, lawyer Josh Weinstein said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Weinstein also said his client suffers from mental-health issues.

"By all accounts, there appears to be no motive behind my client's conduct and his acts remain, to a large extent, inexplicable and out of character," Weinstein said.

"My client suffers from mental-health challenges and issues surrounding his medication and diagnosis. From the perspective of any lawyer, the well-being of their clients is at the forefront, and I am hopeful that my client gets the help he requires."

Mackintosh, 22, was arrested last week in connection with the April 20 robbery of a financial institution in the 2200 block of McPhillips Street.

Police said at about 1 p.m., a lone male entered the business and demanded and received cash. He then fled the scene.

Mackintosh has been charged with robbery with a weapon and wearing a disguise.

"This incident has been painfully bewildering for the Mackintosh family. There were health and medication issues here that professionals are now dealing with," a spokesman for the Mackintosh family told the Free Press on July 28.

The elder Mackintosh is a former provincial attorney general and current cabinet minister in the Selinger government.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 2, 2012 B2