No right to counsel during interrogation: top court
Police are winning the unceasing war over the rights of suspected criminals on a major battleground – the Supreme Court of Canada.
In a ruling full of friction between a bare majority of judges wanting to avoid hampering officers in their work and a minority fighting for the rights of the accused, the court said on Friday that while suspects have a right to consult a lawyer and to be informed of that right, they don’t have a right to legal counsel while they are being interrogated.
Well thats crystal clear ain't it? You have the right to talk to a lawyer, but you do not have a right to have that lawyer in the room with you after initial contact and have the benefit of the advice of said lawyer during interrogation. Lawyers are now effectively barred from the interrogation room. My that will work well now won't it? In dissent of that SC decision:
Judge Binnie said that expecting a defense lawyer to effectively advise a client who is shut away in an interrogation room is the equivalent of playing him a phone message that states: “You have reached counsel. Keep your mouth shut. Press one to repeat this message.”
No kidding, still think the government or Supreme court has your best interest in mind with these kind of edicts?
H/T Cha-cha
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