Posted today on the 101.5 Hawk website http://www.1015thehawk.com/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=5662
Preliminary voir-dire for MacIsaac Thursday, December 04, 2008 , 09:44
A case of alleged animal cruelty against a Port Hawkesbury woman is finally moving forward.
Alice MacIsaac was scheduled in Port Hawkesbury Provincial Court Thursday morning, but the case was adjourned until Friday.
A preliminary voire dire is slated for 9:30 a.m., with witnesses in the case ready to take the stand.
The SPCA rescued roughly 25 animals from the home of the former SPCA Special Constable last February.
During a court appearance in July, her lawyer argued the merits of the search warrant executed during the raid.
Although the phrase roughly means " to see the truth", in legal terms in Canada, a voir-dire is actually like a mini trial to establish the admissibility of evidence or the competence of witnesses. Nine full months after such a large seizure and the legal system is just now getting around to determining these things.
In nine months, a person can carry a child to term or complete a year of studies. It took less time than that to build one of our great provincial icons - the original Bluenose was crafted in five months.
It will take more than nine months to see this through to the finish. Assuming the evidence and witnesses survive the scrutiny and rulings of the voir dire, there will still need to be an actual trial. And of course there is yet another appearance scheduled for the daughter after the no show of the last court date.
Justice isn't blind, she's a bloody marathon runner galloping along until the critics are exhausted and public interest has trickled away.
1 comment:
And all the while the meter is running for the lawyers!RG.
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