Former lawyer Nick Westera was in relationship with Felicia Pynn, court told

A former high-profile Crown prosecutor was in a relationship with FeliciaPynn, the sister of convicted killer PhilipPynn, a Supreme Court heard this week.

The information was revealed during the trial for Jonathan Rowe, who was found not guilty Friday of accessory after the fact to manslaughter.

It was alleged Rowe helped Philip Pynnafter Nick Winsor was shot in a garage on Portugal Cove Road in July 2011. Pynn was later convicted of a lesser charge of manslaughter.

The relationship came out when now Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Insp. Tom Warren, who was a sergeantat the time, was questioned by Rowe's lawyer Bob Buckingham.

Warren had interviewed Westera in March 2012, as he was investigating the shooting death of Winsor.

Texts were 'fantasy andflirtatious'

"There had been an ongoing, long-term, texting or some people would call 'sexting' relationship as well as a personal relationship withhimvisiting with her and so on," Buckingham said of the evidence revealed in court.

The relationship continued for a number of months after Winsor's death, until November 2011, Buckingham said.

There was evidence of 580 to600 text messages between Westera and Felicia Pynn in the months after the shooting.

"He [Westera]referred to them as fantasy and flirtatious," Buckingham said of the messages.

In 2012,Westerawas suspended from the Law Society ofNewfoundland and Labrador,and was placed under police investigation.

But at the time, the Department of Justice and Public Safety would not comment on his suspension.

The RNCsaid at the time it wasinvestigating a "member of the Crown attorney's office." No charges have ever been laid.

"I don't think anyone with respect to Mr. Westera'sactions went far enough," said Buckingham.

"I don't think the police did a proper, full investigation into it.The police should have, at least, obtained records for his cellphones."

During his interview with the police in 2012, Westera was asked to turn over his cell phone andrefused.

Buckingham says the Crown prosecutor'soffice was tainted because of what Westeradid, solawyers from out of province had to be brought to Newfoundland from Nova Scotia to handle the Pynn and Rowe cases, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"An inquiry should be called into how the Crown prosecution office handled this," said Buckingham.

Westerais retired and is no longer listed as an active member of the law society.

Hehadbeen a lawyer since 1984, and was with the Crown's office for more than two decades before moving on as a defence lawyer.