The accused applied for a mistrial during his second-degree murder trial following a violent outburst in the courtroom while the Crown was delivering its closing address to the jury.
The accused yelled profanities, damaged the prisoner's box, and had to be removed by security.
The court dismissed the mistrial application, finding that the outburst was likely a manifestation of mental illness rather than a calculated attempt to derail the trial, but that it did not cause irreparable prejudice.
The court relied on the strong presumption of jury integrity and concluded that the incident did not meet the high standard required for a mistrial.
