R. v. Z.Z.D.

(Cochrane, P.C.). ZZD was charged with a very historical sexual assault.  In Canada, there is no limitation period for the Crown to prosecute an Indictable offence; meaning that a prosecution can be commenced years, even decades after the alleged incident. Not surprisingly, this kind of situation is extremely prejudicial to the accused, who as a result of the passage of time may no longer have access to witnesses, defence materials or even an accurate memory. Studies on the human brain confirm that a persons memory is really little more than a reconstruction of perception and experience that is susceptible to deterioration over time. It is even possible for the narrative of an event to become so tainted by interference of other memories and time that remembered event may have little or no correspondence to what actually transpired. Assessing credibility and reliability of evidence in our criminal justice system is arguably an antiquated and somewhat obtuse process that in the view of this Cochrane criminal lawyer in some cases may lend to wrongful conviction. With this in mind, there are simply too many risks to trial and as such, if a case can be resolved without trial, any accused should strongly consider the options.  In this case ZZD resolved without any admission of guilt and the charges were withdrawn. If you are searching for a criminal lawyer in Alberta to help you assess your options, research Alberta criminal lawyers and consider calling Calgary criminal lawyer, David Chow, for a free telephone consultation.