SCC TO TACKLE VEILED WITNESS CONTROVERSY
Frank Addario and Emma Phillips represented the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, an intervener in the case of a sexual assault complainant who wanted to wear her niqab while testifying. The Lawyers Weekly interviewed Frank, who said that seeing a witness’s face remains important in criminal cases. Frank pointed to appellate deference to trial judges, the right to cross-examine, and the importance of face-to-face confrontation as indicators of the importance of demeanour for cross-examination and credibility assessments.