Appeal from conviction on charges including robbery. Accused was unrepresented at trial. Issue on appeal being whether accused’s fair trial rights were violated.
Held: Appeal dismissed.
Trial judge questioned the accused regarding his applications for Legal Aid, ensured that the accused had received disclosure, and provided instructions to the accused regarding the conduct of the trial. “Lack of counsel is not automatically a denial of fairness … The trial of an unrepresented person will be scrutinized for its justness … But it need not be picked at on appeal in a spirit of post-facto fault finding, or on the basis of an appellate Goldilocks initiative of looking for what is ‘just right’ in the procedure.”
P. Royal, Defence Counsel