BIKER NEWS: SharQc trial on hold for another week

BN- The judge presiding over the jury trial of five men alleged to have been members of the Hells Angels while the biker gang conspired to murder its rivals found himself apologizing again for the delay in proceedings to the nine men and five women who were selected to hear the case.

The jury began hearing evidence on Aug. 10 in a complicated case that might take up to 18 months to complete. Things appeared to be moving along smoothly until Sept. 10, when Superior Court Justice James Brunton announced that an issue had come up involving the amount of evidence the Crown was required to disclose to the defence lawyers representing the accused.

The jury was given the week of Sept. 14 off and it was already scheduled to take last week off. They returned to the Gouin Courthouse Monday morning with the expectation the trial would resume. Instead, Brunton announced that the issue was not yet resolved.

“I can understand if some of you are frustrated with this situation,” Brunton told the jury while explaining why he allowed the 14 people to show up Monday only to send them home again. He apologized and said he wanted the jurors to be present to explain things to them in person “to show you the respect that you are due.”

Brunton said that while additional evidence was disclosed to the defence, “the accused have raised questions of law” concerning what was turned over. Arguments on the disclosure issue will be heard, outside of the jury, later this week. The judge told the jury the earliest they can expect to resume hearing evidence is Monday, Oct. 5.

The five accused are: Claude Berger, 66; Yvon Tanguay, 65; François Vachon, 43; Sylvain Vachon, 48; and Michel Vallières, 48. All five are charged with taking part in the murder conspiracy — an allegation that they were part of a war against members of rival gangs in Quebec including the Rock Machine, Dark Circle and Bandidos between 1994 and 2002. Seven first-degree murder charges are also part of the trial.

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