The trial of the man accused of killing a Toronto man over an alleged drunken brawl in 2010 has reached its climax in Ontario.
The Ontario Court of Appeal has heard the case of Rafiq Godwin, who was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.
A trial is scheduled for June 13.
His trial has been repeatedly delayed because of a lack of a judge.
The Crown says Godwin attacked a man over a drunken brawl and took his cell phone.
Godwin was acquitted of second-degree assault and murder charges in March 2018.
A jury has yet to find Godwin guilty of all charges.
The case has drawn national attention, and sparked an international debate about sharia, the Islamic law that’s used by the majority of Muslims.
The trial of Godwin has been marred by a lack and delay.
In his opening statement in the trial, Crown attorney Brian McNeill asked the court to find that the case was “fraught with serious legal, technical, procedural and constitutional problems.”
He said Godwin could not be convicted of the murder charges because his lawyers had failed to properly follow the instructions of the judge in the first trial.
“The trial court did not follow its own instructions,” McNeill said.
“This court cannot be expected to do justice by a judge.”
In its closing arguments, the Crown asked for Godwin to be declared innocent because he had not been “cured of guilt” and “there is no indication he will be.”
The Crown said Godwon “will never again be able to be a good citizen of Canada.”