An investigation of an error by the Fredericton Police Force that forced the Crown to withdraw from two murder trials sheds very little light on why the cases fell apart in the first place. The man who led the independent review, Ontario lawyer Ian D. Scott, said in his report that the “insurmountable evidentiary issue” that brought both prosecutions to an end cannot be disclosed. “As painful as it is for the families and the larger community, I cannot provide the kind of explanation I would like to clear the air,” Scott wrote. “I am bound by the same rules as the investigators and prosecutors involved in this case.” Citing the Canada Evidence Act, Scott said he could not disclose information regarding national security, communications between police and Crown lawyers,…
Register
