JUDGE NOT WARNED ABOUT ACCUSED BEFORE COURTROOM ATTACK

The judge presiding over a jury trial at the Montreal courthouse this week, when a man accused of attempted murder assaulted two prison guards, was not made aware of his potential for violence, Quebec’s Superior Court said Friday. On Tuesday, the trial of a 41-year-old man, whose name cannot be published, was proceeding when the two provincial prison guards seated on either side of him in a prisoner’s dock were assaulted. The accused tried to flee but he was stopped by special constables. Justice Alexandre Boucher made an “inconceivable decision” by allowing the accused’s handcuffs to be removed during the trial, Mathieu Lavoie, the head of Quebec jail guards union, told the Journal de Montréal, noting the accused has a history of being aggressive and is considered to be dangerous. “Before making the decision to remove the handcuffs from the accused, at the request of the defence, the judge asked the Crown and the correctional officers present if they had any reservations about removing them. They made no objection in this regard,” the court said.