Case adjourned a week for man accused of killing mom, toddler
The U.K. man accused of killing a Calgary mother and her young daughter sat silent during a court appearance Tuesday morning as his case was adjourned until next week.
Robert Leeming, charged with the second-degree murders of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her 22-month-old daughter, Aliyah Sanderson, made a brief appearance in provincial court via closed-circuit TV.
The 34-year-old did not speak during the court proceeding as defence lawyer Lisa Burgis Der, one of two counsel representing Leeming, asked Judge Greg Stirling to adjourn the case for one week while she awaits disclosure from Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor.
Taylor told court he would update Burgis Der on when disclosure might be expected once court adjourned.
Leeming remains in custody and will have to arrange a bail hearing in Court of Queen’s Bench if he wishes to apply for release pending trial.
The 34-year-old was questioned by police on April 25 but released the following day as investigators continued to search for Lovett and Aliyah, who lived with Leeming in his Cranston townhouse.
Leeming was charged with two counts of second-degree murder last week after the bodies of the mother and daughter were discovered near Grizzly Creek in Kananaskis Country, west of Calgary.
Police have said Lovett and Aliyah were last seen alive April 16, while Leeming has told Postmedia he saw his tenants alive in the townhouse on April 18.
The mother and daughter were reported missing the following week after they didn’t show up for a family dinner.
Calgary police Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta has said Lovett and Leeming were romantically involved and called the murders “a targeted attack motivated by domestic-related matters.”
During court proceedings last week, justice of the peace John Szekeres granted Crown prosecutor Lara Simonar’s request that a no-contact order be placed against Leeming for two relatives of Lovett.
Leeming previously told Postmedia he moved to Canada in 2013 to “marry a Canadian woman,” but said he is no longer in a relationship with the woman.
In court documents signed by Leeming’s estranged wife, whom Postmedia has chosen not to identify, the woman says Leeming was an emotionally abusive partner who caused her to fear for her life and that of her young son.
Balfour Der, Leeming’s lawyer, told reporters last week he didn’t know if there were safety concerns for his client while staying at the Calgary Remand Centre.
Der said Leeming “is innocent until proven guilty and he should be treated the same as anybody else who’s in there.”
Leeming will next appear in court in Calgary on May 21.