The Tony Humby sexual violence case is mired in more delays, and the time that’s ticking could make all the difference.
As if the nearly 100 charges weren’t enough, the alleged failure to lay them years earlier has thrust the case into the socio-political arena.
The premier has asked the child and youth advocate to look into it, amid other calls for a public inquiry.
And while justice should be blind of all that, there is pressure to ensure the facts, not the delays, decide this case.
Especially since similar, horrid details have already put Humby’s co-accused, 82-year-old Bruce Escott, away for 13 years.
Tony Humby and Bruce Escott (File photo)
Time wasn’t an issue as the Crown and defence seemed headed for a plea deal in February.
But that was before the accidental disclosure of a document the defence said could go to Humby’s innocence.
That’s lead to applications for anything else the Crown has of relevance, to be heard on Wednesday.
It’s been 24 months since Humby’s arrest, so some of the charges are already past the 18-month Jordan best-before date, partly due to a change in defence counsel.
It remains to be seen who the latest delays are on, with Provincial Court Judge Rolf Pritchard so far saying that’s for another day.
His final calculation, however, could prove tougher than the verdict itself.
