Heroin trafficking charges against the father of an accused killer will be stayed “unless and until” Canada’s attorney general bankrolls a defence for the man denied legal aid, a judge has ruled.
In a decision released after Christmas, Judge Robert Smith concluded Temorshah Hafizi doesn’t have the cash to hire a lawyer the Crown conceded he needed to get a fair trial on a charge of possessing 4 kg of heroin for the purpose of trafficking. If convicted of the charge laid after a wiretap probe of his son, he could face six years behind bars.
Lawyer Michael Purcell, who argued what’s known as a Rowbotham application, said he’s never heard of the federal or provincial attorney general then refusing to pay.
Read Megan Gill’s full article: Ottawa Sun
