A lawyer from Newfoundland and Labrador facing charges of historical sexual assault was indicted in the Supreme Court of St. John’s Province on Monday.
The man, whose identity is protected by a ban on publication, has chosen a trial by a judge and a jury. The seven-day trial is scheduled to begin on May 29, 2023.
The indictment alleges that in 2002 he touched and visited a sexual girl under the age of 14.
Earlier published court documents obtained from CBC News show that the girl was 12 at the time and the alleged attack took place in her mother’s car in front of the defendant’s law firm.
He allegedly committed another sexual assault on her six years later when she was a teenager.
He faces two other allegations of sexual assault stemming from incidents in 2012 and 2013 involving the same woman.
He has not pleaded guilty.
The ban remains in force
In late March, Supreme Court Justice James Adams extended the ban on publication, preventing the defendant’s name from being reported in connection with these criminal proceedings, pending a possible review by Canada’s Supreme Court.
Prohibitions on publication are common in cases of sexual violence, but to protect the identity of the alleged victim and not the accused.
CBC News and CTV News have successfully argued that the ban would interfere with the principle of open court and freedom of the press.
Adams sided with the media.
“Justice done in secret is contrary to the principles of a democratic society,” Adams wrote in his ruling at the time.
The judge noted that the lawyer asked the court “to make a substantial change in the law.”
The lawyer claims that revealing his identity will deprive him of the presumption of innocence, will negatively affect his reputation and will damage his dignity.
Following Adams’ ruling, he successfully argued that the ban should remain in force until he seeks permission to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to hear the case.
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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