R v Wilkie

HIS HONOUR : As would have been apparent from the remarks I made in exchange with Senior Counsel for the accused, I am singularly unimpressed by the basis upon which it is suggested that the accused cannot be ready for trial until Monday 25 August. At a previous mention hearing it was apparently suggested that the accused could be ready at least a couple of weeks earlier than that, but that position seems to have altered.

The comment by leading counsel for the Crown that the affidavit filed today of Hugh Robert Scott represents no more than a trawling through of material which must have been well known to those advising Mr Wilkie, is clearly correct. The problem is however that if I force the accused to a trial earlier than he claims to be ready for, then that only adds to the possibility of an ultimate complaint about mistrial.

I have said what I said. I regard this application as bordering upon the edge of failing to be even bona fide. Nevertheless, in order to avoid the problems which may follow forcing this unwilling group of legal advisors and their client to commence the trial, I propose to fix the trial to start on Monday 25 August. Unless something quite extraordinary happens, the parties can expect that it will proceed on that date, and at considerable expense to the community in general there will have to be a large jury panel summonsed for that day. Those who have responsibilities to the court as well as to their clients may bear that in mind.