Reapplying for representation
Man who said Buckingham told him to fire lawyer decides to stick with Legal Aid
An alleged child sex offender who fired his Legal Aid lawyer last month and said he wanted “a real lawyer” instead is sticking with Legal Aid.
Adam Oldford, 30, made a quick appearance in provincial court Thursday morning, his first since his trial on charges of sexually assaulting a girl under 16 and sexual interference — touching a girl under 16 for a sexual purpose — was postponed a month ago.
With witnesses outside the courtroom waiting to be called to testify, Oldford told the court April 3 he had fired his Legal Aid lawyer, Jason Edwards, on the advice of private lawyer Bob Buckingham.
Oldford later told the media he had approached Buckingham for advice in the hallway before proceedings began, because he wasn’t satisfied with his advice from Edwards and wasn’t prepared to go to trial.
He said Buckingham told him to postpone it and hire someone else.
On Thursday Oldford was represented by duty counsel Shelley Senior, who told the judge that Oldford will reapply for Legal Aid representation and has a meeting to that effect within the next couple of weeks. His case will be called again June 6.
The RNC issued a public notice last August saying it had received a complaint about a man in a St. John’s park approaching young teenage girls and attempting to befriend them before trying to solicit them for sexual activity.
The man allegedly told the girls he was significantly younger than his actual age, police said.
The next day, police announced they had arrested a man in connection with that investigation.
Oldford appeared in court the day after that and was released on bail, eventually pleading not guilty to both charges.
The RNC said it had received only one formal complaint, but suspected there were other potential young victims.
Earlier in August, a Mount Pearl mother had turned to Facebook to post a warning about a man who she said had sent inappropriate online messages to her 13-year-old daughter after meeting her in Mundy Pond Park.