Sex assault suspect faces more charges

Bail hearing adjourned

Abail hearing for a man charged with several sex-related offences against three young girls has been adjourned again while the Crown and defence review a new set of charges.

Court was told Tuesday that the accused, Trevor Pritchard, faces additional charges of possessing, accessing and making child pornography, as well as one count of child luring, in relation to a fourth child. However, the Crown and defence didn’t have sufficient information about the new charges to deal with them Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court, and the matter was adjourned to June 9.

Pritchard, 32, was originally charged Jan. 18 with sexual assault, touching for a sexual purpose a person under 16 years of age, abduction of a person under the age of 16, uttering threats, communicating with a person under 16 years of age to commit a sexual offence, and child luring to commit a sexual offence, in relation to one teenage girl.

Later the same month he was charged with sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, sexual touching of a person under the age of 16 and child luring to commit a sexual-related offence, in relation to two more teenagers.

A bail hearing on the original charges began last month, but was adjourned to Tuesday so the Crown could investigate the accused’s brother who defence indicated is willing to act as surety, along with their father. Court was also told that a witness may be prepared to testify in relation to the suitability of the brother acting as surety.

Court will also have to decide whether to include the new charges in the existing bail hearing, or conduct a separate bail hearing to deal with them. Evidence presented during the bail hearing cannot be published under a court-ordered ban.

Crown prosecutor Donna Spaner noted outside the courtroom after the hearing that the new charges, which came to light as police continued their investigation, predate the original charges.

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