The estranged ex-husband of Kelowna’s Bailey McCourt pleaded guilty to a new charge out of Pitt Meadows while appearing by video in provincial court in Kelowna on July 31.
James Plover pleaded guilty for a charge of failing to comply with a no contact order. The offence occurred Sept. 24, 2025 in Pitt Meadows. The charge was laid on April 30. A publication ban covers a majority of the case’s details.
Plover’s defence lawyer Cory Armour requested that a psychiatric report be completed ahead of sentencing, with a focus on possible undiagnosed mental illnesses.
Plover’s next appearance on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Plover was in custody at the time of the offence for charges related to the death of McCourt.
McCourt died after being attacked in a Kelowna parking lot in broad daylight on July 4, 2025.
On the day of McCourt’s death, Plover had been found guilty of assault by choking and three counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm from an incident in 2024. Plover was not held in custody after the guilty verdict and was free to leave the Kelowna Courthouse with a future date for sentencing.
Hours after the verdict, Plover is alleged to have killed McCourt and severely injured her coworker, Carrie Wiebe, outside the victims’ workplace. Plover fled the scene in a vehicle and was arrested in Lake Country the same day after a police chase ensued.
On Nov. 27, 2025, Plover was sentenced to 12 months for the 2024 charges, but had only 147 days left after time served.
Plover is forgoing his right to a pre-trial hearing for the charges related to McCourt’s death. The accused was originally charged with second-degree murder, but the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder on Nov. 25, 2025.
Plover’s first-degree murder trial is expected to start in September and run through to December.