An Ontario family waited 3 years for trial in alleged murder of brother. Now they have to wait another year
An Ontario family that has waited three years for a trial in the alleged murder of a loved one has just been told they’ll have to wait another year.
The brother and sister of Nathaniel Brettell told CTV News they got word that one lawyer’s scheduling conflict adjourned the trial of Ahmed Al Farkh that was scheduled for April 29, and that the next available date at Toronto Superior Court was in March of 2025.
“My life has been on hold for three years,” Lois Brettell said in an interview. “I’m suffering badly with survivor’s guilt. Now, with another year on top of that, I’m not in a good place.”
Brettell went missing from his Etobicoke rooming house in 2021. Two officers that went looking for him were stabbed and sent to hospital.
Police looking for the 57-year-old eventually turned up his remains at a landfill near London, Ontario.
Charged in the case was 34-year-old Al Farkh, Brettell’s former roommate, who is in custody now. His online writings have described his time in Toronto homeless shelters, referring to the Freemasons and the Illuminati.
Brettell’s brother and sister have waited three years for the trial to start on April 29. The next date, they said, is March 17, 2025.
Farkh’s lawyer, Boris Bytensky, acknowledged the most recent delay was due to his schedule. But he said since the delay was initiated by the defense, there’s no chance the charges will get thrown out for delays.
That’s not the case for several other cases that have been tossed for delays, with judges in Toronto Superior Court decrying a slow federal appointment process for judges that has left vacancies on the bench.
Ontario NDP justice critic Kristyn Wong-Tam said the province has plenty of physical courtrooms, but a major issue is the lack of court staff. She said a recent report had reduced the number of hours each courtroom is used on average each day.
“When we have a court system that’s overstretched and underfunded, these problems are going to persist, and we have record high backlogs,” she said.
“To hear the next available courtroom is a year out is unacceptable,” she said.
The province’s Ministry of the Attorney General didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson for federal justice minister Arif Virani said the government has appointed 111 judges to superior courts across Canada in the past 12 months, and said there are new measures to streamline the process.
“All actors in the justice system, and all levels of government, need to work to ensure justice is timely. Our government is doing its part and will continue to do so with urgency,” said spokesperson Chantalle Aubertin.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.