-CP-A Nova Scotia provincial court judge has been sanctioned for his conduct on the bench, with a review committee concluding that undiagnosed mental health issues were a factor in his behaviour. Judge Alain Bégin was investigated for his conduct in three cases. In one of them, Bégin said before final arguments in court that the accused was a “sexual deviant” and that he had “no doubt” the defendant was guilty of sexual assault. Then, the judge tried to have those comments stricken from the court record. The defendant in the case was convicted of sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual touching, but the ruling was overturned on appeal. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ordered a new trial based on a reasonable apprehension of bias. As well, the…
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