MONTREAL - There has been yet another delay in the trial for the man charged in Quebec's 2012 election-night shooting.
Superior Court Justice Guy Cournoyer has postponed jury selection in Richard Henry Bain's first-degree murder trial until next May.
Bain's lawyer requested the delay today, saying he has not yet been able to find a psychiatrist to conduct a new evaluation of his client.
Bain has already undergone a psychiatric evaluation but the results are not open to the public and the defence has indicated they are not happy with the results and want their own expert to examine him.
The Crown prosecutor argued the trial should proceed as scheduled this September because victims need closure and witnesses may begin to forget their version of events.
Bain is charged in the slaying of lighting technician Denis Blanchette outside a Montreal nightclub on Sept. 4, 2012, as then-Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois was toasting her party's election win.
He also faces two counts of attempted murder and several weapons-related charges.
The trial was scheduled to start in September but the defence doesn't believe it will find someone to redo Bain's psychiatric assessment in time for that start date.
Bain's lawyer Alan Guttman said he is convinced Bain was suffering from the side effects of an anti-depressants he was taking at the time.
"You're dealing with a person, 64-years-old. He worked all his life. He was a productive member of society and all of a sudden this tragedy happened. I mean, there's questions that have to be asked," Guttman said.
Guttman also said he still hasn't been paid for the time he's put in as Bain's lawyer. He is supposed to be paid using funds from the sale of a property Bain owned in the Laurentians, but the transaction hasn't been examined as yet.
-- with files from CTV Montreal
