Trial of doctor charged with sex assaults adjourned again
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/01/2023 (957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The trial of a rural Manitoba doctor accused of sexually assaulting several of his female patients was adjourned yet again Monday, prompting a judge to question whether the proceeding can be completed in the four weeks that have been set aside for it.
Dr. Arcel Bissonnette has been charged with a total of 22 counts of sexual assault against female patients in Ste. Anne between 2004 and 2017. He is on trial before King’s Bench Justice Anne Turner on six counts, with the balance of the charges to be dealt with separately at a later date.
The trial was adjourned four times last week after Bissonnette’s defence team raised concerns about missing evidence: the notebooks of the lead Saint-Anne Police Department investigator. Defence lawyers told Turner they would be seeking a judicial stay of proceedings on the grounds of abuse of process and late disclosure.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
Dr. Arcel Bissonnette (left) has been charged with a total of 22 counts of sexual assault against female patients in Ste. Anne between 2004 and 2017.
On Monday, Crown attorney Paul Girdlestone asked that the trial be adjourned until Wednesday.
“The Crown has started the process of consultation,” Girdlestone said. “That will be done expeditiously and we are hoping to attend Wednesday morning and at that time we do not expect any further adjournment requests.”
The trial began Jan. 9 and is set for four weeks.
“If the Crown were to begin calling evidence Wednesday, is there any hope of this trial finishing on time?” Turner asked Girdlestone.
“That is really the main driver of conversations at this point,” Girdlestone said.
dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.
Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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