The assault occurred on Tuesday while the guards were sitting on either side of the defendant inside the prisoners’ dock.
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A jury that had been selected to hear the trial in the Montreal court of a man accused of attempted murder was informed Thursday that the trial had been aborted after two provincial prison guards were assaulted inside a courtroom. hearings this week.
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On Tuesday, the guards were assaulted inside the third-floor courtroom while sitting on either side of the defendant on the prisoners’ dock. According to media reports of what happened on Tuesday, the assault occurred just before the morning recess for the trial and the guards had to be transferred to a hospital.
As is the usual procedure during a trial, the judge in the case asked that the defendant be removed from the handcuffs, presumably so that he could take notes while listening to the evidence.
The defendant, a 41-year-old man, tried to escape from the courtroom, but special agents working in the courtroom prevented him from doing so. The plexiglass dividers installed inside the prisoner’s dock, as a security measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19, were broken. According to court records, the case has been postponed until the end of November.
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On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Alexandre Boucher informed the jury that the trial they were scheduled to hear has been aborted and that the jury has been disbanded. For the moment, the publication of the name of the accused has been prohibited.
The defendant was arrested by Montreal police in 2019 as part of an investigation into an attempted murder that occurred on June 17, 2018. The same man has two other cases pending in the St-Jérôme court, where he faces a total of three assaults. charges.
No charges have yet been brought in connection with the assault on the guards.
Reference-montrealgazette.com