Lawyer wants federal justice minister to get involved in case of convicted judge

OTTAWA – The lawyer for a retired Quebec judge convicted of murdering his wife is hoping the federal justice minister will get involved in a bid to have his client’s case reviewed.

The Supreme Court of Canada recently refused to hear an appeal by Jacques Delisle, who was sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death.

Delisle spent nearly a quarter-century on the bench and is believed to be the first Canadian judge to stand trial for first-degree murder.

The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the guilty verdict last year.

Lawyer Jacques Larochelle tells The Canadian Press he wants trial evidence pertaining to ballistics to be reviewed by an independent person or group and then presented to Justice Minister Peter MacKay.

The Criminal Code allows a justice minister to order a new trial or refer the case to an appeals court if he or she has reasonable grounds to believe a miscarriage of justice has occurred.