A lack of available judges is being blamed for the collapse of a trial against an alleged drug dealer in Cranbrook, B.C.
Aaron Jeffrey Hamm, 20, was arrested in August 2008 and charged with possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking. He was first set to appear in court in November 2008. Numerous trial delays and rescheduled appearances followed; Hamm appeared or was set to appear in court 10 times in 2009 alone.
Last month, Hamm's defence argued successfully that the delays had violated section 11(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to trial within a reasonable time.
Provincial Court Judge Ron Webb agreed to stay the charge, noting the number of full-time judges available in the Kootenay region has gone from five to 2.8, according to a release from the Cranbrook RCMP.
"We will never know whether Mr. Hamm was guilty of this offense or not, because the matter was never heard in court," Cpl. Chris Faulkner said in the release.
"While justice may have been served on behalf of Mr. Hamm, the community appears to have suffered."
