Accused in Quebec daycare bus crash that killed two kids has case postponed

The court case of a Quebec man accused of killing two young children by driving a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare was postponed on Tuesday, as a prosecutor requested more time to finish disclosing evidence.

Pierre Ny St-Amand was arrested after a city bus crashed into the front of a daycare in the Ste-Rose neighbourhood of Laval, Que., on Feb. 8, killing two four-year-olds and injuring six other children. The 51-year-old former city bus driver was charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault.

Quebec court Judge Carol Richer put off the case to Sept. 26, after the Crown said it needed more time for the disclosure of evidence. The case has been postponed several times, including at the least hearing in June.

Speaking after the brief court hearing, both the Crown and defence said the extensions were not unusual in a case this complex.

Defence lawyer Julien Lesperance Hudon said there was a "significant" amount of evidence, adding that he was not afraid that the process was moving too slowly, or that it wouldn't come to trial within prescribed time limits.

"It's a really big file, there's a lot of (analysis) to do regarding the bus, the testimony, the medical report," he said. "There's a lot, a lot of evidence, and it's normal that it takes a few months."

Prosecutor Karine Dalphond said the Crown is waiting on an expert report from police, among other elements, but that she is hopeful the disclosure of evidence will be complete by the next court date.

St-Amand was judged fit to stand trial on Feb. 24 following a psychiatric evaluation in the weeks after his arraignment. A separate evaluation that assessed St-Amand's mental state at the time of the alleged crime -- and whether the accused should be held criminally responsible -- was sealed by a judge in April.

Dalphond said Tuesday's postponement was not due to the psychiatric evaluations but to elements of a more technical nature.

St-Amand was not present at Tuesday's hearing. Lesperance Hudon said his client was detained at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 22, 2023