(ASHLEY LEGASSIC / iNFOnews.ca)

Two Trans Mountain pipeline protesters were convicted at a trial in Kamloops on May 19, following a confrontation with security guards near Blue River.

Nicole Manuel was found guilty of intimidation using threats of violence. Her sister and fellow member of the protest group Tiny House Warriors, Kanahus Manuel, was found guilty of theft under $5,000, according to a court decision published today, May 26.

The sisters arrived at a Trans Mountain pump station near Blue River on Sept. 30, 2019 and filmed a confrontation with two security guards.

According to court records, Nicole said that it was within her lawful right to protest the pipeline activities through intimidation and shaming of the workers at the site.

There was name-calling directed towards the security guards and Nicole claimed she knew where their children went to school.

READ MORE: Tiny House Warriors' trial begins in Kamloops

The courts heard from Dr. Janice Rose Billy, a Secwepemc language expert, that shaming can be a learning tool within Secwepemc culture. However, Dr. Billy said that the practice is more concerned with "think about what they had done," not make them worry for their safety or their family.

Nicole was found guilty of using intimidation by threats of violence, but a sentencing is yet to be determined.

The judge Stella Frame did not find Kanahus guilty of intimidation in the incident, but said that she demonstrated "willful blindness" to the events, by filming most of the confrontation.

In the video evidence seen by the court, Kanahus approached the gate where a padlock hung.

While she can't be seen taking the lock, it was noted that the lock was missing when they left and the pocket of her hooded sweater was hanging lower as the incident unfolded.

Another trial involving Tiny House Warriors members' efforts to protest pipeline activities continues in Kamloops court.

Nicole Manuel, along with two other members of the group, are facing charges of mischief, causing a disturbance and assault, in relation to an incident dating back to Dec. 10, 2018.

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