Sailor’s hospitalization delays trial

HALIFAX — A British sailor on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting a Halifax woman is in hospital, delaying proceedings in Nova Scotia Supreme Court yet again.

Darren Smalley and Simon Radford are charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm and participating in a sexual assault involving one or more people in the Warrior Block accommodations at CFB Shearwater in April 2015. The trial was scheduled to continue Friday, but Radford’s lawyer, David Bright, informed Justice Patrick Duncan that his client was in hospital.

“He’s anticipating a surgery — today, tomorrow — it depends entirely on the medical people,” Bright said. “Following that, there will be an in-house requirement for antibiotics and that sort of thing. The concern, I guess, is septicemia of the wound and they’re being very, very cautious. He’s anxious to get back and get underway.”

The case was adjourned until Monday. It’s not clear yet whether Radford will be well enough to continue then.

The start of the trial was delayed on Tuesday because Radford was in hospital. Bright had told the court his client was injured in the United Kingdom and suffered a torn artery. The trial has only heard from one witness, a military police officer who investigated the alleged incident.

The accused, members of the Royal Navy, were participating in a naval hockey tournament in Halifax at the time of the alleged sexual assault. Both Smalley and Radford are not in custody, but are under strict bail conditions.