Cousins of Tori Dunn had one major question for Premier David Eby when they recently spoke to him: what happened in the courtroom that led to Adam Mann being released from custody in connection to unrelated charges before Tori's death on June 16.  

A publication ban is currently keeping the Dunn family from knowing this. 

Hailey and Chasity Dunn want to know why the judge granted Mann bail in connection to an unrelated recent charge. Mann was charged with second-degree murder in connection to Tori's death and has a long list of criminal convictions in B.C. and Ontario. 

"It's not a question that just the Dunn family has; that's the question every British Columbian has, that I have," Eby said. 

At an unrelated press conference Wednesday (July 24), Eby commented on the publication ban surrounding the bail hearings for Adam Mann.

Eby went on to say that the publication ban "is preventing the public from knowing what happened in that courtroom and also restricting the Dunn family."

The ban covers evidence and information presented during bail hearings. Judge Andrea Davis signed off on an updated publication ban on July 19, 2024, in Surrey provincial court. The updated order includes further direction on what cannot be published, broadcast, or transmitted until a preliminary inquiry is held, the accused is discharged, the accused is tried or ordered to stand trial, or the trial ends. 

"We were advised that the best we could potentially offer the Dunn family was to attend and listen to a recording of what happened in the courtroom. I mean, they live all across Canada. That makes absolutely no sense," Eby said. 

Eby has spoken with the Attorney General's team. He said the Prosecution Service will be going to court to get clarification from the court, "ensuring that the publication ban does not apply to that bail hearing so that we can all know what happened in that courtroom."  

"'I'm very hopeful, and my expectation is that the prosecutors will be successful in getting that information released," Eby added. 

The publication ban currently covers three unrelated charges against Mann. 

Damienne Darby, communications counsel for the BC Prosecution Service, said in an email to the Now-Leader that there have been no changes to the publication ban since July 19, 2024. 

"The BCPS (BC Prosecution Service) is assessing whether there is any ongoing ambiguity regarding the scope of the publication ban that could benefit from clarification by the court," Darby said.