BC Supreme Court Awards Spouses Over $1M in Trespass, Shooting Case

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in the 2026 decision *Nelson v Tregear*, ordered a defendant to pay over $1 million in damages to a married couple after he trespassed on their property and shot the husband, causing the wife to suffer intentional infliction of mental suffering from witnessing the event. This civil judgment followed the defendant's criminal conviction in August 2025 for the shooting, for which he received a seven-year prison sentence. The incident, which occurred on May 7, 2022, involved the defendant shooting the plaintiff husband in the abdomen with a .22 calibre rifle at point-blank range while on the plaintiffs' residence, with the plaintiff wife present. The husband sustained grave injuries, with the bullet remaining lodged in his body. Justice J.K. Gibson awarded a total of $1,046,286 in damages, with $767,100 specifically mentioned as part of the total, for the husband's personal injuries and the wife's psychological trauma. Claims against the defendant's common-law partner were dismissed on October 28, 2025.