Hopes of a speedy trial for the 17 Crown Resorts staff who are being detained in China, including head of Crown's international VIP program Jason O'Connor, look to be fading after the Australian government said the laying of charges could be more than a year away.
As the casino staff, including three Australians, prepare to spend their fourth month in an unheated Shanghai jail for what has been described by Chinese officials as "gambling-related crimes", the Department of Foreign Affairs has issued a bleak assessment on the outlook.
