Quebec judge rejects Robert Miller's request for stay of proceedings in sex crime case

A Quebec Superior Court judge has rejected a request to stay charges against Robert Miller, the Montreal billionaire charged late last month with sexual assault and exploitation of 10 women and girls.

In his ruling, Justice François Dadour says Miller's case will be long and complex because of the number of complainants and the historical nature of some allegations. He writes that many procedural steps are required before the truth-finding function of the trial will be set in motion.

In their request to stay charges filed earlier this month, Miller's lawyers said the 80-year-old suffers from a host of different medical conditions, including late-stage Parkinson's disease that has left him in "extremely frail condition, bedridden and under 24/7 care."

But Dadour ruled that next procedural steps do not require Miller to appear in person, nor to oppose the charges. Further measures can be taken to expedite court proceedings or accommodate Miller's circumstances, the ruling says.

"Naturally, things may evolve," Dadour wrote.

"In an unqualified future, Mr. Miller's condition may raise some specifically urgent issues or interfere with his fair trial rights in ways that could bring the Superior Court to then intervene by virtue of its fundamental role and inherent power to enforce individual rights."

Miller's lawyers argue going ahead with the judicial process given his state of health violates his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

"The applicant is not capable of participating in a criminal trial, as this would cause significant harm to his health. He is not and will never be able to defend himself," his lawyers Isabella Teolis and Nicholas St-Jacques said. 

Miller, the former owner of Future Electronics, a Montreal-based electronics parts distributor, was arrested at his Westmount, Que., home on May 30.

The charges are the culmination of a year-long police investigation, which was triggered by a CBC/Radio-Canada investigation that aired in February 2023. 

According to the charges against him, Miller paid several young girls in exchange for sexual favours between 1994 and 2016. He faces 21 charges, including sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for consideration and several counts of sexual exploitation of minors.