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Former fugitive Nathan Gervais isn’t entitled to a speedy murder trial, a judge ruled Friday in setting a hearing for May 2019.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Earl Wilson said there was no need to give Gervais an earlier date to avoid a possible application for a stay of his charge based on unreasonable delay.

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“Your guy is the one who failed to show up,” Wilson told defence counsel Alain Hepner, when the lawyer inquired about a possible earlier date.

Court was told an earlier date could be given if approved by the associate chief justice. But Wilson said that was inappropriate, since those dates should be reserved for cases where an issue of unreasonable delay might be raised.

“He disappears and he comes here clamouring, ‘I have a right, I have a right,’ ” Wilson said, pounding his hand on his desk.

“He’s not clamouring,” Hepner replied.

“Just in case,” the judge said. “I don’t have a lot of sympathy since he didn’t show up.”