Toronto

Trial date set for convicted killer Paul Bernardo's weapon charge

Paul Bernardo, one of Canada's most infamous killers, will stand trial in October on a weapons charge.

Ontario killer allegedly had a 'homemade shank' at a Bath prison where he is incarcerated

Paul Bernardo will appear in person in a Napanee, Ont., courtroom in October to stand trial on a weapons charge. (Pam Davies)

A trial for convicted killer Paul Bernardo, who has been charged with one count of possession of a weapon in prison, will be held on Oct. 5. 

Bernardo made a brief appearance in a Napanee, Ont., courtroom on Friday via video link. He will return to the same court in person for his trial.

Court documents show the alleged offence occurred Feb. 9 at a prison in Bath, Ont. 

Bernardo, 53, allegedly had a "homemade shank composed of a screw and a pen for a handle," according to court documents. 

One of Canada's most infamous killers, who was also known as the Scarborough Rapist, Bernardo was arrested in the 1990s on allegations that he raped and murdered multiple teenage girls at his home in St. Catharines. Ont.

His 1995 trial for the deaths of 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy and 15-year-old Kristen French horrified Canadians as lawyers presented videotaped evidence of his repeated brutal attacks on the teenagers.

Bernardo was eventually convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated sexual assault in both cases and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 25 years.