Listening to for man who attacked 10-year-old woman delayed by defence lawyer

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What ought to have been a normal courtroom listening to within the case towards a person who attacked a 10-year-old woman in Pointe-aux-Trembles earlier this yr was delayed Wednesday, after his defence lawyer outright refused to have a abstract of what occurred to the sufferer be made public.

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The case towards Tanvir Singh, 21, of Anjou was earlier than Quebec Courtroom Decide Christian Tremblay on the Montreal courthouse. The decide was requested to find out whether or not he agreed with a psychiatric report, filed by two specialists on the Philippe Pinel Institute, that decided Singh was not criminally accountable for his actions on March 14 when he attacked the younger woman.

The kid was heading residence for lunch and was strolling alongside Tricentenaire Blvd. close to Victoria St. with one other younger woman when she was assaulted. Singh, who didn’t know the woman, struck her repeatedly on the pinnacle after which dragged her for a brief distance earlier than bystanders intervened and referred to as 911. The woman suffered extreme accidents and was hospitalized for days.

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A brand new element that emerged Wednesday is that Singh was holding “a cutter” in a single hand when he attacked the woman.

Defence lawyer Mileva Camire started the listening to by saying the analysis Singh underwent decided that he was not criminally accountable for his actions on that day. She additionally conceded the Crown had sufficient proof to convict her shopper of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon.

The legal professional additionally mentioned she and prosecutor Annabelle Sheppard would advocate that Singh be declared not criminally accountable. Underneath regular circumstances, a decide would agree with the suggestions and order that the accused be detained at a psychiatric hospital earlier than a tribunal decides if he’s nicely sufficient to go away.

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Singh is an anglophone, and the decide mentioned he wished to make certain that the accused understood what was being mentioned in courtroom. That was when Tremblay requested {that a} assertion of information be learn into the courtroom document in English.

Camire objected to the decide’s request and mentioned she translated a abstract for her shopper earlier than the listening to and made positive he understood it.

“He must admit to the information — simply the information,” the decide instructed Camire.

The defence lawyer proceeded to supply what she referred to as a “quick abstract.”

“There have been many eyewitnesses that observed Mr. Singh crossing the road on the day of the occasions. He attacked a little bit woman on that day and he had a cutter in his hand,” Camire mentioned earlier than providing the chance to Sheppard to say extra. However because the prosecutor started to learn from an in depth account of what occurred, Camire interrupted her and requested to speak to Sheppard in personal.

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Once they returned earlier than Tremblay, Camire mentioned: “I respectfully submit that I disagree with the best way we’re continuing now. Often when there’s a (listening to through which a defendant could be declared not criminally accountable) all people agrees that there isn’t any abstract of the information, as a result of what (Sheppard) is about to learn is from the (psychiatric analysis).

“This report is positioned below seal. It’s confidential info. It’s a protected assertion below the Legal Code. I’m of the view that these components shouldn’t be learn out in entrance of the courtroom.”

Tremblay replied that he disagreed and mentioned he wanted to be made conscious of the information of the case earlier than deciding whether or not he agrees with the psychiatric analysis.

“That is my interpretation (of the Legal Code). Should you disagree, you’ll be able to have the prospect to proceed earlier than (a unique decide),” Tremblay mentioned, noting he spent an hour studying the analysis Wednesday whereas attempting to juggle dozens of different circumstances. “Subsequent time I’ll have discovered my lesson.”

Sheppard and Camire agreed to carry the case earlier than a unique decide on Thursday.

pcherry@postmedia.com