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Mike Duffy trial brings all kinds of onlookers to Ottawa courthouse

Mike Duffy trial brings all kinds of onlookers to Ottawa courthouse

From an 11-year-old girl who begged her father to take her to the courthouse to a supply teacher who had a lot of free time over the summer, we meet two of the regular citizens showing up at the courthouse to watch the trial of Mike Duffy on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.

Dozens of journalists had been covering the trial every day until its third phase wrapped on Tuesday — the trial will resume in November after the federal election — but they weren't the only people showing up.

Perhaps the youngest onlooker is Maggie Fyfe, 11, who showed up on Tuesday with her father for the testimony of Chris Woodcock, a former director of issues management in the Prime Minister's Office.

More on that testimony here, if you like, but let's get to some of Fyfe's amazing quotes, as told to the CBC's Jeanne Armstrong:

"It's really interesting and I'm interested because it's all over the news and I want to be able to tell my kids and my grandkids about it, like what happened in 2015," Fyfe said.

"I just find it interesting that like it's not really exactly clear if he's done something wrong or not, like they don't know yet."

"If he did use taxpayers's money, then that's money that the whole country was paying, and then, but then if he wasn't guilty then I wanna see it but if he was guilty I'd still wanna see it."

On the brief Duffy sighting outside the courthouse:

"That was really exciting. ... When he came out of the car all the reporters were surrounding him and asking questions. And like, until he got to the door they were still asking. ... If I were him I don't know if I would answer their questions."

Alyson McLeod, a supply teacher with a wide-open summer schedule, has also been showing up to watch the trial.

"I haven't been here every day but I was here for Nigel Wright and just to get the hoopla of seeing how the journalists [work], and to see if anyone cracks and actually responds to any journalist questions," she said.

"I think it's funny that it's this circus every day but it's the same thing every day and no one says anything and no one cracks. So it's interesting. ... And plus it's fun seeing all the journalists. Evan Dyer, Rosie Barton, yeah."