2 guards plead not guilty in death of prisoner Matthew Hines

Two correctional officers charged with manslaughter in the death of prisonerMatthew Hines pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

Alvida Ross, 48, and Mathieu Bourgoin, 32, were not in Monctonprovincial court, but pleas were entered on their behalf by their lawyers.

Ross and Bourgoinwere working at Dorchester Prison on May 27, 2015, when the Cape Breton man was beaten and repeatedly pepper-sprayed by correctional officers.

Bourgoin is represented by Alison Menard, and Michel DesNeiges is Ross's defence lawyer.

Menard said the accused would elect to be tried by judge and jury in the Court of Queen's Bench. Five days were set aside for a preliminary inquiry that is scheduled to begin Oct. 29.

Two of Matthew Hines's sisters, Wendy Gillis and Helen MacLeod, were in court Wednesdayand left the room in tears.

Sisters in court

Outside court, Julie Kirkpatrick,the family's lawyer,said the women would not comment, explaining, "it's too hard today."

Members of Hines's family have travelled from Sydney, N.S., for each court appearance and have said they will continue to do so.

New Brunswick RCMP initially investigated Hines's death and decided no foul play occurred.

Nova Scotia RCMP began reviewing the investigation after "additional information came forward" in May 2016.It's not clear what kind of information changed the RCMP's mind or why it wasn't uncovered in the first investigation.

Correctional Service of Canada assigned Bourgoin and Ross to other duties at the end of February.