Sexual assault bail hearing adjourned

CROWN IS OPPOSED TO ACCUSED’S RELEASE

A bail hearing for a man charged with several sex-related offences against young girls has been adjourned for a month.

The hearing for Trevor Pritchard began Wednesday in Lethbridge provincial court, but it was halted partway through when defence indicated it would request that the accused’s brother act as surety.

Lethbridge lawyer Scott Hadford told court Pritchard’s father would provide a no-cash surety should Pritchard be released from custody pending the disposition of his charges. But the Crown was unaware of defence’s plan to add a second surety and said it would require time to investigate the brother.

The Crown is opposed to the accused’s release, and said it will seek to have Pritchard declared a dangerous offender if he is convicted.

Although the bail hearing ran for nearly 90 minutes before it was adjourned, evidence and testimony cannot be published under a courtordered ban. The hearing is scheduled to resume May 9.

Pritchard, 32, 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 communicating with a person under 18 years of age 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 communicating with a person under 18 years of age to commit a sexual-related offence, in relation to two more teenagers.

RCMP laid the first charges after they were notified of a sexual assault on a teenage girl at a residence in Coaldale. The initial complaint was lodged with the Lethbridge police, then turned over to the Coaldale RCMP.