A preliminary hearing has tentatively been set for a man accused of holding a girl against her will for four days at a remote northern Saskatchewan cabin.
The hearing for Aaron Gardiner, 42, is scheduled to be held in Meadow Lake Provincial Court Aug. 25 and 26.
Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle waived his client, Aaron Gardiner’s appearance in court March 15.
Pfefferle asked that the matter be brought back before the court on April 12, adding that by then he should know whether or not the attorney general has approved the Crown to proceed by direct indictment. If the direct indictment is approved then there won’t be a preliminary hearing and the case will be sent directly to Court of Queen’s Bench.
Canada’s Criminal Code allows for a case to be sent directly to trial without a preliminary hearing through a direct indictment. It is only used in serious crimes and when it’s in the public interest.
Gardiner wants a preliminary hearing and a trial in Court of Queen’s Bench with a judge and jury. Preliminary hearings are held to determine whether there is enough evidence for the accused to stand trial.
Gardiner has been in custody since he was arrested in April 2020 for allegedly holding a girl captive for four days at a remote cabin across from ÃŽle-Ã -la-Crosse Lake. He was charged with unlawful confinement, assault, overcoming resistance, uttering threats, resisting arrest, possessing a firearm for a dangerous purpose, use of a firearm in commission of an indictable offence, proceeds of crime, and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Three months after his arrest, police added more charges after more alleged victims came forward.
The charges against Gardiner haven’t been proven in court.
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