ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Tara Bradbury
The Telegram
@tara_bradbury
The Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court is postponing all jury trials set to begin between now and May 31 due to concerns over coronavirus.
The court made the announcement in a tweet late Friday afternoon, following superior courts in Nova Scotia and Ontario, which have taken the same action.
While non-jury matters at Supreme Court and all provincial court matters will continue as usual, jury trials will be rescheduled for a later date. Anyone who has been called for jury duty is asked to ignore the summons, and new summons will be issued once the new dates have been set.
Any jury trials that have already begun will continue as planned.
Among the postponed trials is that of RNC Const. Doug Snelgrove, which was scheduled to begin in St. John’s on Monday morning. Snelgrove, 42, is set to be tried for the second time on a charge laid after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman while on duty in December 2014. A jury acquitted Snelgrove of the crime in 2017, but his acquittal was later overturned by the province’s Court of Appeal.
Snelgrove took the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which dismissed it a year ago, and he was scheduled for a new trial.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice and Public Safety told The Telegram both levels of courts in the province have a plan developed specifically to deal with an influenza pandemic, and will implemented it if necessary.
“Public health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador, in conjunction with Public Health Agency of Canada officials and other provincial and territorial public health officials, are closely monitoring novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The courts will take guidance from our provincial and federal health officials,” the spokeswoman stated in an email.
Inside the province’s jails, the importance of handwashing is being stressed to inmates, and designated quarantine areas are being established for those who come down with symptoms associated with the COVID-19 virus.
Extra bottles of hand sanitizers have been provided, and sources say inmates at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary have been permitted access to bottles of diluted bleach to disinfect their cells.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
Facebook: @telegramtara
