Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh arrives at Nova Scotia Court of Appeal in Halifax on June 8, 2011. The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a Crown appeal in a case where a Nova Scotia appeal court threw out convictions on 17 charges of gross indecency and indecent assault involving six boys. The provincial court of appeal quashed the convictions against Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh last year, ruling that a 14-year delay between the original allegations and the eventual trial was too long. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
June 28, 2012 - 9:59 AM
OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada will hear a Crown appeal in a case where a Nova Scotia appeal court threw out convictions on 17 charges of gross indecency and indecent assault involving six boys.
The provincial court of appeal quashed the convictions against Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh last year, ruling that a 14-year delay between the original allegations and the eventual trial was too long.
The allegations against the former Cape Breton businessman date back to the 1970s, but only surfaced in 1995, when he was working in India.
An extradition request was not made until 2006 and MacIntosh was returned to Canada in 2007, although his trial didn't begin until 2010.
The appeal court overturned all 17 convictions, finding that MacIntosh's right to be tried within a reasonable time was infringed.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012