A new trial has been ordered for those charged in a deadly stage collapse at an outdoor Radiohead concert in Toronto, sending the case back to square one five years after the grim incident.
Prosecutors say a mistrial was declared after the presiding judge, Justice Shaun Nakatsuru, was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court earlier this year and ruled he no longer had jurisdiction over the case.
The entertainment company Live Nation, Toronto-area contractor Optex Staging and an engineer, Domenic Cugliari, were charged in 2013 with a total of 13 charges under the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The setback could put the case in jeopardy as one of the defence lawyers in the case, Scott Thompson, said they will be bringing an application to have the charges thrown out over unreasonable court delays.
That application is set to be heard in August. A similar application was rejected by Nakatsuru last fall.
If the new application is also unsuccessful, the new trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 5 and continue through May of next year.