Justice officials are blaming an administrative error for the untimely appointment of a Crown prosecutor as a judge during a high-profile Saskatchewan trial.
Lloyd Stang was the lead prosecutor in the La Loche school shooting case.
READ MORE: La Loche school shooting: sentencing delayed for teen who killed 4 people
Final arguments in the sentencing hearing for the teen guilty of killing four people and wounding seven others were to be heard on Friday.
Instead, it was adjourned after it was announced Stang had been appointed as a provincial court judge in Melfort and wasn’t able to proceed in the case.
Judge Janet McIvor apologized to everyone who had traveled from La Loche to Meadow Lake for the hearing, calling it an “exceptional circumstance” and that everyone “has been taken by surprise.”
A spokesperson with the Ministry of Justice said that due to the administrative error, Stang was appointed to the bench before the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.
The spokesperson said new processes have been put in place to ensure the same type of error doesn’t happen again.
FULL COVERAGE: La Loche school shooting
Final arguments were originally to be heard on Aug. 25, but were delayed after a Gladue report was filed with the court stating the teen has fetal alcohol syndrome.
A date will be set on Sept. 11 for final submissions to be heard along with the examination of two witnesses who filed the Gladue report.
The hearing is to determine if the teen, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, will be sentenced as an adult or a youth.