Mark McDiarmid found not guilty of attempted murder

A Dawson City jury has found Mark McDiarmid not guilty on two counts of attempted murder, stemming from an October 2011 confrontation where he attacked an RCMP truck with a sledgehammer, was pursued to a Dawson City woodlot, brandished an axe and was shot by police.

McDiarmid was found guilty of five lesser charges, including mischief, possession of a weapon, and three counts of assaulting a police officer. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for less than four hours before reaching a decision.

Brandy Maude, McDiarmid's mother, says the jury should have taken more time.

"This decision came much too quickly," she says. "This is people that wanted to go home. It's nothing more than that."

McDiarmid, who shrugged in the courthouse when the verdict was read out, says he wasn't happy with the verdict and plans to appeal.

More from the Mark McDiarmid trial:

During the trial, McDiarmid centered his defence on claims that he was set up by police, who fabricated evidence against him. He represented himself during the trial.

Crown lawyer Jennifer Grandy says she wasn't surprised by the verdict, because of the difficulty in proving attempted murder.

"The individual, if they're to be convicted of attempted murder, has to have an intention to kill specifically," she says.

Maude says her son has been "innocent all along."

"He still is innocent. He has no desire to hurt anyone in the future, and he had no desire to hurt anyone at any time."

McDiarmid is scheduled for a pre-sentencing hearing in Whitehorse March 17.