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Charges being dropped because of a lack of prosecutorial resources is a stain on the administration of justice, a Calgary judge said as he let an impaired-driving suspect go free.

Provincial court Judge Josh Hawkes, during a court proceeding last month, called the Crown’s need to “triage” certain cases an “unfortunate situation.”

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In a transcript of the April 3 proceedings, obtained by Postmedia, Crown prosecutor Thom Forsyth told Hawkes he was withdrawing charges of impaired driving and failing to appear against the suspect.

“Under the Crown’s current triage protocols we do not have anyone available to prosecute this matter,” said Forsyth.

“As such, the Crown will be withdrawing the informations before you today.”

Before allowing the accused to leave, Hawkes determined it was worth commenting on.

“I say this in no criticism of you, Mr. Forsyth, but, for the record, it is a matter of serious concern any time otherwise viable charges are withdrawn because of a lack of institutional resources,” said Hawkes, a former prosecutor himself.