Case of Fredericton man facing 10 impaired-related charges delayed again

The case of a Fredericton man facing 10 charges in connection with an impaired driving collision with a motorcycle that seriously injuredamarried couple has been adjournedagain.

Robert Drew Shannon, 40, was scheduled to havea bail hearing in provincial court on Wednesday afternoon, but hisdefence lawyerand the Crown made a jointrequest thatthe case be set over until Aug. 12, as relatives and friends of the injured couple looked on.

Defence lawyer Ronald Morristold the court he plans to recommend Shannon be sent for a psychiatricassessment to determine whether he is fit to stand trial, but said he needed time to get a letter from his client's family doctor first. The letter will helpdecide whether a five-day or 30-day assessment is required, hesaid.

Judge Julian Dicksonwas not happy with the delay. He notedthe charges were laid on June 28 and the file has not progressed. The court has only 18 months to deal with the matter, he said.

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Dicksonagreed to the adjournment, but said, "No further delays without seeing some progress."

The charges against Shannonincludetwo counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, two counts of driving over the legal limit, two counts of causing bodily harm, one count of driving with a suspended licence andone count of breach of a judge's undertaking.

Theywere laid after an SUV struck a motorcyclein a traffic circle at the intersection ofCliffeStreet and Two Nations Crossingon the city's north side on June 19 at about 6:30 p.m.

Michael Burden, who was on the motorcycle with his wifeKendra,had to have one of his legs amputated after the collisionand also suffered broken ribs.He remains in intensive care at the hospital, the couple's daughter, Alyssa Howe, toldCBC News.

Her mother also underwent at least two surgeries for a crushed ankle and is also still in hospital, she said.

It kind of makes me angry. We all want this to be dealt with.- Alyssa Howe, daughter of injured couple

Outside the courthouse, Howe expressed frustration about the case being delayed for a third time. "It kind of makes me angry," she said.

"We all want this to be dealt with because my parents are in the hospital It's just frustrating."

"Icompletely agree with the judge. It should be taken care of as quickly as possible."

But all she can do is wait and see what happens, she told reporters. "There's nothing else that we can really do until they push the matter forward."

In the meantime, Howe, who just graduated from high school, has taken time off from her summer job. "My complete focus is on the situation," she said.

Shannon remains in custody and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 12at 9:30 a.m.

He is also facing charges of drinking and driving and driving with a suspended licence in connection witha previousalleged incident onApril 25.He is scheduled to appear in court on those charges in November.

Howehas set up a fundraiser for her parents on the crowd funding site GoFundMe. The campaign has raised $975 to date. Howe'sgoal is $10,000, but shedoesn't know how much the bills and other expenses may add up to.