Quebec City sword attack suspect will go directly to trial
The alleged perpetrator of the sword attack in Quebec City is set to go directly to trial without a preliminary hearing in an effort to speed up the judicial process.
Carl Girouard will not be entitled to a preliminary inquiry and will return to court on Sept. 7.
Girouard, a 25-year-old from Sainte-Thérèse, a suburb of Montreal, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.
On Halloween night, Oct. 31, an assailant armed with a Japanese sword and wearing a medieval costume attacked random passersby in Old Quebec.
The events shook the city and its mayor, Régis Labeaume, who noted that it was the second tragedy in the provincial capital since the mosque shooting in 2017 to make international headlines.
On Friday, the accused appeared briefly by videoconference from the Quebec City Detention Facility.
Dressed in a brightly coloured plaid shirt, he appeared before Quebec Court Judge Jean Asselin with short hair and a freshly shaved face.
Prosecutor François Godin filed a direct indictment, noting that the defence lawyer, Pierre Gagnon, had been notified in advance.
Godin did not explain the use of this procedure. Later, the spokesperson for the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), Audrey Roy Cloutier, explained that the public interest had to be taken into account.
"In addition to the reasonable prospect of conviction required to initiate a prosecution, the prosecutor (...) must first have determined that the public interest justifies the use of this procedure," she said.
"With all due respect to ongoing legal proceedings, and in order not to prejudice them, we cannot comment further at this time," she added.
The approach is not unlike how the case of the mosque shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, unfolded. On Oct. 3, 2017, the team of prosecutors, which included Godin, had him go directly to trial without a preliminary hearing.
It was explained at the time to be a decision `long considered' and taken `in the public interest.' The question of time was also one of the factors considered.
On March 12, Godin indicated that the disclosure of evidence in Carl Girouard's file was complete.
In November, when many were commenting on the accused's mental health, he reminded them that Girouard was presumed mentally fit for trial until proven otherwise.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 18, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.