OTTAWA — Making an accused person wait in jail before trial should be the exception, not the rule, the Supreme Court of Canada says in a decision that affirms a key legal safeguard intended to ensure speedy justice. The ruling comes three years after the Supreme Court set out a groundbreaking new framework for determining whether a criminal trial has been unreasonably delayed in the drug case of Barrett Richard Jordan. Though Myers eventually pleaded guilty to reduced charges, he also challenged a decision to keep him in custody pending trial. In the decision, Wagner wrote that the right to liberty and the presumption of innocence are fundamental tenets of the criminal justice system. However, a significant number of people await trial behind bars at any given time in Canada, he noted.

Source: National Post March 29, 2019 05:03 UTC