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Blair granted new trial


By Jim Eadie

Wollaston Township Reeve Graham Blair has been granted a new trial following his successful appeal of an impaired driving conviction from March 2017.

Following this conviction, Blair's legal counsel Leo Adler told Bancroft This Week that the conviction would be appealed to the Superior Court of Justice in Belleville to be heard later in the year.

“There are several grounds, but mainly they deal with legal errors committed by Justice Hunter,” said Adler. “There are Charter issues, and his asking questions which should have been left to the Crown to ask … or not … which he then used as a basis to convict my client.”

On May 8 the case re-appeared in Bancroft court and a date was set for July 6 in Belleville.

“We won the appeal,” Adler confirmed. “This will be the re-trial.”

A second separate charge against Blair for a drinking and driving offence was quickly thrown out before the trial started in June of last year. Judge Geoff Griffin found that the charges had not been properly laid by the police. The proper documents had not been signed by a justice to lay the charges in the first place.

“The officer signed [the document], but the Justice of the Peace did not sign,” said Griffin. “Probably inadvertent … but this is not properly before the court. It is quashed.”
Excerpt: Wollaston Township Reeve Graham Blair has been granted a new trial following his successful appeal of an impaired driving conviction from March 2017.
Post date: 2018-05-23 14:53:59
Post date GMT: 2018-05-23 18:53:59
Post modified date: 2018-05-23 14:53:59
Post modified date GMT: 2018-05-23 18:53:59
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