Unreasonable delay motion rejected in Ramsurrun’s case

Shakti Ramsurrun, accused of killing his wife Anne-Catherine Powers, her mother Louise Leboeuf and Leboeuf’s partner Claude Levesque, in the spring of 2012 in Aylmer, will finally face the justice system, ruled Judge Eric Downs on February 23.

Ramsurrun’s lawyer Richard Dubé had filed an unreasonable delay motion since his client has been waiting to undergo trial for close to five years, but Judge Downs dismissed the lawyer’s motion.

Dubé’s failed motion followed the Supreme Court’s Jordan decision last summer which saw new delays announced for trials. The ceiling or reasonable delay was set at 18 months for “cases going to trial in the provincial court, and at 30 months for cases going to trial in the superior court (or cases going to trial in the provincial court after a preliminary inquiry).” It’s a constitutional right to be tried within a reasonable time.

Originally from Mauritius, Ramsurrun, 33, has been awaiting trial for about 50 months. Dubé argued that Gatineau’s judiciary system has taken too long to proceed with the trial and his client should be freed.  Ramsurrun’s trial is scheduled for this April. Judge Downs acknowledged the long delays in Gatineau, but still rejected Dubé’s motion. He noted that exceptions apply to the Jordan ruling, this case being one of them.

Ramsurrun and Powers had one child together. She was 21 when she died. All four lived together in an Aylmer home on Felix-Leclerc Street near the Rivermead Golf Club where Ramsurrun worked.