Lethbridge Courthouse. (Lethbridge News Now)

By The Canadian Press

Complaint over Lethbridge judge’s comments about medical expert’s accent moving ahead

Mar 10, 2021 | 10:49 AM

CALGARY – A complaint over comments an Alberta judge made about a Nigerian-born medical examiner’s accent is now before a member of the Canadian Judicial Council’s conduct committee.

Dr. Bamidele Adeagbo was a Crown witness at two trials for David and Collet Stephan, who were accused of failing to provide the necessaries in the death of their toddler in 2012.

Dozens of medical and legal experts filed a complaint against Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Terry Clackson, saying some may have perceived racism in his reasons for acquitting the Stephans at their second trial.

Among other things, Clackson wrote that Adeagbo’s ability to articulate his thoughts in an understandable fashion was severely compromised by his garbled enunciation.

The judge noted in his decision the doctor’s “failure to use appropriate endings for plurals and past tenses; his failure to use the appropriate definite and indefinite articles; his repeated emphasis of the wrong syllables; dropping his Hs; mispronouncing his vowels; and the speed of his responses.”

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Canadian Judicial Council spokeswoman Johanna LaPorte says the review of Clackson’s comments had been put on hold pending the Crown’s appeal of the acquittal.

The Alberta Court of Appeal earlier this week ordered a third trial for the Stephans, saying Clackson’s comments demonstrated the need for the not guilty verdicts to be set aside.

READ MORE: Alberta Appeal Court orders 3rd trial for David and Collet Stephan

(The Canadian Press)

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