MONTREAL - A linguistically charged murder case was delayed for the fourth time in five weeks Monday with no word on whether the defendant is fit to stand trial.
Translation problems, a defence lawyer who wants off the case and Richard Henry Bain's right to an English hearing have all slowed the process to a crawl.
The hearing on Monday was delayed for 15 minutes when a translator showed up late for testimony from a psychiatrist who requested the right to speak French only.
The judge, Crown and defence, all of whom are French, asked their questions to Dr. Anne-Marie Bouchard in accented English.
Things grew painfully slow when the translator relayed their questions back into French despite the fact the doctor said she understood English.
After several awkward minutes, Crown attorney Eliane Perreault drew chuckles in court when she held up her hand and interrupted the translator mid-sentence, saying "you don't have to translate into French."
