January 21, 2014 - 10:30 AM
OTTAWA - Canada's highest court has ruled that a group of Hells Angels members who received a stay of proceedings because of lengthy delays in their case will not have to stand trial anew.
The hearing took place before the Supreme Court of Canada today, with the ruling coming directly from the bench.
Quebec Superior Court Justice James Brunton ordered the stay of proceedings for 31 Hells Angels members and sympathizers in 2011.
They had been arrested as part of the 2009 police sweep dubbed SharQc and were charged with various drug-related offences.
The Supreme Court ruled that Brunton did not err in exercising his discretion to order a stay in the case.
It agreed that defendants would be prejudiced by the lengthy delays and that they would not face a trial in a reasonable delay as required by the law.
The Crown went to the Supreme Court after losing an appeal in Quebec's highest court.
The police sweep led to the arrest of more than 150 people, with a number of mega-trials expected in the future.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014