Home invasion charges against couple dropped

Charges against a couple who were arrested together after a home invasion in Kilbride earlier this year have been withdrawn.

April Warford, 29, and James Purcell, 39, had been set to go to trial on charges of robbery, break and entry with intent, assault with a weapon, pointing a firearm and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Those charges were dismissed Tuesday afternoon, after the court heard the witnesses in the case could not be located and subpoenaed to testify. Purcell pleaded guilty, however, to a charge of breaching a court order banning him from alcohol and was sentenced to 30 days time served.

The couple was arrested in July after RNC officers were called to a residence on Bay Bulls Road to a report of an armed man and woman forcing their way in. The suspects had run from the scene.

Purcell and Warford were taken into custody nearby shortly after the incident. Warford was released on bail, while Purcell remained in custody until his release Tuesday.

He is set to go to trial in December on unrelated charges of assaulting a peace officer, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, causing a disturbance, mischief by diverting suspicion and failing to abide by a probation order.

Purcell was convicted of manslaughter in Ontario in 2011 for the death of a three-year-old boy two years previously. The child, who was the son of Purcell's then-girlfriend, died of brain damage after Purcell injured him. Purcell had originally been charged with second-degree murder, but the charge was reduced after he made a plea deal with the Crown. He was sentenced to about 7 ½ years in prison, minus 3 ½ years credit for the time he had spent on remand.