Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and Canadian musician Caribou have shared their thoughts on a judge’s decision Tuesday to stay charges stemming from a fatal stage collapse at a Radiohead concert in Toronto.
Ontario Court judge Ann Nelson ruled that the rights of the accused to a timely hearing were violated.
“words utterly fail me …” tweeted Yorke early Wednesday.
Caribou (aka Dan Snaith) tweeted: “(As someone who was standing behind this stage when it collapsed and would have been on it an hour later...) This is complete bulls**t.”
Radiohead’s drum technician Scott Johnson, 33, was killed in June 2012 when the top of the stage crashed down ahead of an outdoor concert. Three other people were injured.
Live Nation, engineer Domenic Cugliari and contractor Optex Staging were charged with a total of 13 offences under Ontario health and safety laws.
But, in her 21-page ruling, Nelson said: "It is important to emphasize that timely justice is not just important to persons facing charges. It is also important to our society at large.”
She acknowledged the lack of closure for Johnson’s family. “No doubt, this decision will be incomprehensible to Mr. Johnson's family, who can justifiably complain that justice has not been done.”