The common-law spouse of the man behind the worst mass shooting in Canadian history took the stand for the first time at the Portapique Inquiry.
Lisa Banfield described when she met Gabriel Wortman and how their relationship moved quickly. They met in a bar and went on their first date soon after.
“He came with two dozen roses,” Bandfield explained. “I thought that was over the top and I didn’t really like that kind of thing.”
Lisa Banfield testifies at Portapique Inquiry. July 15,2022
Banfield recalled their first date, Wortman picked her up and they were heading to a restaurant on Spring Garden Road when they were rear ended by a young female driver.
“I thought this is a good time to see his demeanor and what kind of character he has…and he [Wortman] got out and he approached the two young girls in the vehicle, and he was smiling and saying it was okay…I thought to myself…ok, he’s a good guy.”
Banfield was recently divorced and living with one of her sisters when she stared dating Wortman. After three months, the Dartmouth area denturist asked Banfield to move in with him.
They moved in together above Wortman’s denturist clinic on Portland Street, which was demolished earlier this year. Banfield began working at the clinic and “did everything except insert the dentures into a patient’s mouth.”
However, over the years, Banfield says she experienced emotional and physical abuse.
The most documented time was when Wortman attacked her just shortly before he killed 22 people, she was able to escape and hid in the woods, burrowing her body near the trunk of a tree.
“It was a huge tree that was down, and it had a big hole in it that I buried part of my body in,” Banfield explained. “And then I stayed there. Like, I could see the moon and everything. I am just trying to keep myself awake. I thought if I can just make it to the morning then I can crawl out and get help. While I’m there, I can hear shots, and I didn’t know what he was doing.”
Her medical records show she had fractures to her ribs and vertebrae. She was also found with scratches and abrasions on her hands, feet, and legs, and bruising to her upper back.
During questioning on Friday, Banfield was asked to describe the ins and outs of the warehouse.
Gabriel Wortman’s shed in Portapique where he kept a replica police cruiser.
The commission went on to ask Banfield about what she knew as Wortman was building one of his Ford Taurus cars into an nearly identical replica of an RCMP cruiser. She told the inquiry she urged Wortman to check to see if he was allowed to do it.
She also provided some insight about another similar RCMP cruiser that had some decals on it and he would take out for drives. It was another decommissioned police car Wortman owned.
“He got a thrill off of thinking [people thought] he’s a police officer,” Banfield said.
Banfield haunted by the past
Banfield was also questioned on the gunman’s relationship with the 22 victims and whether or not she knew them.
She says she’s haunted by the question of what would have happened if she didn’t get away from him on the night of April 18th, 2020 and hid in the woods.
“I often think would any of those people have died, so that’s something that haunts me all of the time because I feel like they weren’t targetted and he was looking for me in the beginning,” Banfield said.
Banfield also confirmed to the inquiry she no longer feels safe going out as she worries someone might attack her or her family.
