Man accused of shooting wife at Peterborough Home Depot wants to proceed without a lawyer
Terrance Finn returning to court Thursday, seeks first-degree murder pretrial in shooting of Sandra Finn
Terrance Finn says he is going to proceed with his case without a lawyer.
Finn, 74, is charged with firstdegree murder in the shooting death of his wife Sandra Finn on Aug. 22.
Sandra was shot in broad daylight in the Home Depot parking lot in Peterborough and died later that day in a Toronto hospital. Her husband was arrested at the scene by city police.
She was a retired secretary and insurance adjuster at the former Fleetwood Canada Inc. recreational vehicle factory in Lindsay
On Wednesday, Finn expressed his displeasure with the process.
“I will proceed by myself and I would ask for an immediate judicial pretrial,” Finn said, with his sons Mike and Kevin in the courtroom for the first time since just after his arrest.
During the pretrial, Finn, the Crown and the judge would meet behind closed doors to discuss the case.
Finn had been trying to secure government funding to hire a lawyer. However, Finn said he hasn’t been able to communicate with Toronto lawyer Mary Cremer’s office, who has been helping Finn with his Rowbotham application.
A Rowbotham application is a solution for those who don’t qualify for legal aid and still can’t afford to pay legal fees out of pocket. It’s based on the premise that all accused persons have a right to a fair trial. Unlike legal aid, where a representative decides if you qualify, a judge makes the decision in a Rowbotham application.
“They put me over, over and over,” he explained.
In earlier court appearances, Finn had told the court that he didn’t want a trial and wanted to plead guilty.
“I’m going to do it myself,”
Finn added Wednesday.
Assistant crown attorney Andrew Midwood told the court the Crown’s office is hoping for some traction in the case, noting Finn has had full disclosure of evidence against him since October.
Justice Stuart Konyer put the matter over to Thursday so the case go back before Justice Jennifer Broderick, who has presided over the case since Finn’s third court appearance.