Accused faces dishonesty claims on final day of cross-examination

Testimony continued in a London courthouse on Tuesday at the Barbara Cabala manslaughter trial, CTV’s Nick Paparella has the latest.

On his final day of cross-examination, Crown Attorney James Spangenberg suggested that Barbara Cabala, 43, wasn’t being honest about what happened on the night of July 7, 2021, inside a townhouse at 392 Wilkins Street in south London.

The court heard that the accused had moved back in to live with her mother Elzbieta Cabala, 59, and that they, at times, had a very turbulent relationship with the elder Cabala not agreeing with her daughter’s lifestyle choices.

Cabala said she and her mother got into a physical altercation on the night in question when her mother died.

“It all happened so quickly, and I was being attacked,” said Cabala.

However, the Crown claimed that it was the other way around, saying “I’m suggesting to you that you were the aggressor, you were the attacker, your mother was defending herself.”

“I was not, I was simply clawing at her trying to do anything to get her to stop, nothing seemed to work,” Cabala responded.

The court had heard that the mother died from external neck compression and that she suffered more than 55 injuries during the fight.

Spangenberg showed the jury photos of the mother’s wounds, comparing them to those of Barbara Cabala’s injuries.

“You agree with me that these photographs paint a very different picture, right?” asked Spangenberg.

“They look very different, yes,” said Cabala.

He continued to ask, “your mother is significantly injured, and you have nothing?”

“That was not attributed to her cause of death ... I can see the cuts, yes,” said Cabala.

Cabala would eventually be charged with manslaughter in the case and has plead not guilty, claiming self defence.

She was the final witness called in the case, which has now been adjourned until Thursday. That’s when closing arguments are expected to be made by the Crown and the defence, along with the charge to the jury by Justice Patricia Moore.

After that, it will be up to the jury to decide the fate of Barbara Cabala.