Accused killer, released under Jordan ruling, headed back to U.K.
Van Son Nguyen, 52, had his 2nd-degree murder charge stayed last week
A man accused of murdering a Montreal man in 2012 could be sent back to Great Britain as soon as this evening, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada has ruled.
Van Son Nguyen, 52, had his second-degree murder charge stayed last week after a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled the delay in his case was unreasonable and there was no justifiable reason he had not yet been tried.
Nguyen is the third person accused of murder in Quebec to see his charges stayed under the so-called Jordan ruling, a Supreme Court decision that puts time limits on how long it takes for cases to come to trial.
Nguyen was taken into detention by immigration officials following last week's court decision.
During a hearing in front of the Immigration and Refugee Board Monday, he said he would like to leave to go back to England as soon as possible.
His lawyer, Stéphane Handfield, said Nguyen still has a valid U.K. passport and shouldn't face any obstacles in trying to return to the U.K. No tickets have been purchased yet, but Handfield said he expects Nguyen will leave Montreal in the next few days.
He will remain in detention until he leaves Canada.
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'There's something wrong with the justice system,' says officer who responded to dropped murder case
Nguyen arrived in Canada as a tourist in September 2012. He was arrested in 2013 and accused of murdering a Montreal man with a machete.