(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Michael Bonnell has been living in fear for his life since videos of his interview with Kamloops RCMP were posted online.

It's the reason he was carrying an air-powered pistol against court orders earlier this year as he wanted some way to protect himself, his lawyer Tony Lagemaat said in Kamloops court today, Dec. 21.

Bonnell, born in 1987, was accused of assault, carrying a concealed weapon and breaching court conditions. Because of the danger he faces, he appeared by video from what appeared to be the living room of a home.

He pleaded guilty to the breach today and Justice Mariane Armstrong gave him an 18-month probation order.

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Prosecutor Oliver Potestio said the Crown was "exercising discretion" in not seeking jail time. Such a sentence would likely put Bonnell at further risk.

The videos, which were posted online in April, show Bonnell laying out a local drug trade network and the Lower Mainland connections. It's not clear when the interview was done, but his lawyer said it was sometime last year.

Lagemaat said there are "several" investigations into how the interview leaked online and his client has survived at least two attempts on his life.

"These attempts on his life were serious and he’s keeping a really low profile," he said.

Both were midday attempts, with one involving a "brazen" shooting in downtown Kamloops, he said. Bonnell escaped but his vehicle was shot. He didn't say when the shooting occurred.

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The man Bonnell was accused of assaulting in October, Brendan Cunningham, didn't appear in court. Crown said the two were strangers before they fought.

"You're the guy on YouTube," Cunningham said as he approached Bonnell, according to Lagemaat.

Exactly what happened during the fight isn't clear and Cunningham changed his story at least once since the incident, Lagemaat said.

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They both reported the incident to Kamloops RCMP but it was Bonnell, who had been getting help from police since the informant videos became public, who was eventually charged.

Lagemaat said Bonnell has had to flee his house at times after seeing suspicious vehicles pass by while police have more than once taken him out of province when there were threats to his life.

Bonnell sought a 12-month probation order, while the Crown wanted 18 months with an added curfew order.

Lagemaat said the curfew order could put him at risk because Bonnell may flee his house within those hours if he believes he's in danger, so Justice Armstrong chose not to impose the curfew when sentencing him to an 18-month probation order.

Kamloops RCMP did not respond when asked whether investigators have determined how the police interview was leaked online.

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