Quebec prosecutors won't appeal judge's decision to end trial of five Hells Angels
Crown to launch committee examining mega-trials and how they are handled
Quebec's head Crown prosecutor says her office will not appeal the release of five Hells Angels arrested in a 2009 police sweep, dubbed Operation SharQc.
Annick Murphy says that there will be an internal investigation into the way the Crown handled the case. She is also launching a committee to review mega-trials in general and how they are handled.
Crown also ordering full scale review of megatrials and how they are handled
—@SteverukavinaMurphy made the announcement this morning in Montreal.
The judge in the Hells Angels mega-trial put an end to proceedings last week, releasing five men — Claude Berger, Yvon Tanguay, François Vachon, Sylvain Vachon and Michel Vallières — accused of murder and conspiracy.
Judge James Brunton ruled that some of the evidence was not properly divulged to the defence. The defence had asked for evidence collected by the Crown as far back as 2011 but it was only provided in September 2015.
The final pair of accused, Robert Bonomo and John Coates, are scheduled to begin a separate English-language trial in January of 2017.
Stéphanie Vallée welcomes decision
Quebec's justice minister, Stéphanie Vallée, applauded the decision.
"I welcome the measures put in place today to shed light on these events and ensure better management of mega-trials in the future," the minister said in a written statement.
Vallée has also asked former deputy minister Michel Bouchard to make recommendations to coordinate judicial resources in mega-trials so that they take a reasonable amount of time.
SharQc sting results in 104 convictions
A total of 156 people were arrested in 2009 on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and gangsterism during the SharQc operation — a massive sting aimed at dismantling the outlaw motorcycle gang.
Murphy said the operation has resulted in 104 convictions with sentences ranging from five years to life in prison.
In 2011, Brunton ordered the release of 31 of the accused because of unreasonable delays — a decision that was upheld by the Court of Appeal and then the Supreme Court.
The charges against Christian Ménard were dropped completely. He had been facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a killing 14 years ago.
Crown in Quebec won't appeal judge's decision to end trial of five Hells Angels
with files from Canadian Press