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• When prosecutors went to court in Prince George, British Columbia, in a case involving a nightclub flouting COVID-19 restrictions last February, they thought their argument was airtight, the CBC reported.
They had video from Lambda Cabaret that had been posted to Facebook showing patrons dancing and drinking with nary a mask in sight.
The club even bragged about their disobedience: "Open with zero mandates 2 weeks in a row," it posted.
But Judicial Justice Brent Adair saw it differently. "There are so many holes in this case -- it's like someone shot a shotgun," he said.
For one thing, he asked, "What is a social media post?" "These are posts that Lambda Cabaret made on Facebook," environmental health officer Joey Cheng answered.
"How do you know they made them on Facebook?" Adair asked. "Ummmm ... it was on their Facebook page," Cheng replied. Adair explained he's not a "technical person": "I know Facebook exists. I don't use Facebook. What is it? What does it show?"
He ended up dismissing all the charges against Lambda Cabaret, citing hearsay and questioning why video evidence was relevant.
Might be time to brush up, Your Honor. [CBC, 12/7/2022]