Lawyer gets more time to prepare

PRITCHARD FACES VARIETY OF SEXRELATED CHARGES

The new lawyer for a man facing several sex-related offences against four young girls needs more time to review the case before deciding how to best proceed with the charges.

During a hearing Monday in Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench, lawyer Greg White was granted an adjournment until later in the month in order to review disclosure and discuss it with his client, 32year-old Trevor Pritchard. In the meantime, Pritchard will stay in custody at the Lethbridge Correctional Centre.

Pritchard’s first lawyer withdrew June 12, and told court the accused’s new counsel could set a trial date and/or hold a bail hearing on the next court date. Neither happened Monday, however, and the matter was adjourned to July 24.

Pritchard was 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. Then in May court was told Pritchard had been charged in relation to a fourth girl.

The new charges have resulted in the delay of a bail hearing, which has been adjourned several times since it began in April.

The Crown is proceeding by direct indictment, which allows court to bypass a preliminary hearing and send the accused directly to trial.

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