Canada

Former Alberta MLA Derek Fildebrandt will return to court this year despite being acquitted on charges of uttering threats against a group of teen boys.

The Crown filed a notice of appeal at the Calgary courthouse, asking a Court of King's Bench Justice to overturn the acquittals and substitute convictions or, alternatively, order a new trial.

Fildebrandt's charges were laid last April following an incident in which he shouted at and then chased the boys through his southwest community of Crestmont because he wrongly believed the teens were damaging his lawn ornaments.

Justice Allan Fradsham found that Fildebrandt did tell the kids, "I protect my property and my belongings with a gun." However, the judge ruled the comment wasn't intended to intimidate and thus acquitted the accused on all four charges in November.