Months after sex crimes arrest, Grand Chief Ed John has yet to appear in court
B.C. Grand Chief's arraignment now set for late March
Months after he was arrested, a B.C. Grand Chief charged with sex crimes has yet to appear in court.
Ed John's first appearance, set for December, 2019, had been re-scheduled. On Wednesday, court officials again postponed a hearing until March 25. John did not appear for the proceedings at the Prince George court house.
Both his defence lawyer and the special prosecutor called into the court room by telephone.
Special prosecutor Michael Klein said further time was needed for discussions about a piece of evidence.
But Justice Michael Gray suggested the case needs to move forward, citing a landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling that imposed time limits on legal proceedings in order to protect the rights of defendants to a timely trial.
"We are four months into the process," Gray noted. "So we do have an arraignment need."
Alleged sex crimes
In November 2019, John was charged with four counts of having sexual intercourse with a female without her consent.
The alleged offences concern a single individual and date back to 1974 in Prince George.
A publication ban prohibits the disclosure of any information which would identify the alleged victim.
John is a hereditary chief of the Tl'azt'en Nation, a former B.C. cabinet minister, a prominent Indigenous leader and lawyer