The lawyer for the train driver charged in the deadly Lac-Megantic disaster says prosecutors are seeking to prevent his client from having a preliminary inquiry—a move he argues will keep the defence in the dark on the Crown’s evidence.
Defence attorney Thomas Walsh said the Crown informed him Wednesday it will seek a preferred indictment, which would fast-track the high-profile case past the preliminary hearing.
Train driver Tom Harding and two other railway employees are each facing 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death—one for each victim of the July 2013 oil-train derailment in the Quebec town. A conviction carries a maximum life sentence.
It's kind of a low blow.
