Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 12/04) - Three men charged in connection with a Jan. 8 home invasion in Yellowknife will have to wait until next week to set a date for their preliminary hearing on 23 charges related to a recent home invasion-style robbery in Yellowknife.

Burton Dodman, Wade Sutherland and Garry Taylor, who are being held in remand, were brought into territorial court Tuesday morning locked in handcuffs.

Judge Brian Bruser delayed setting a hearing date until March 16, giving Sutherland a chance to get a lawyer and also giving Chief Judge Michel Bourassa -- who is committed to setting aside extra time for the hearing -- an opportunity to review his schedule.

Defence lawyer James Brydon voiced a mild complaint at the suggestion the hearing could be delayed until well into the summer because of the unavailability of police witnesses.

"It seems like the court schedule is wrapping itself around the vacation schedule of the RCMP," he said.

Dodman, Sutherland and Taylor are charged with hostage taking, assault with a weapon, break and enter and possession of a break in instrument (in this case, a mask), among other offences. A fourth man, Alexander Payne has also been charged in connection with the incident.

According to media reports from January, four men broke into one of the Fort Garry Apartments on Gitzel Street and held two men at knife-point. One of the suspects reportedly took the men's bank cards while the others stayed behind to guard the captives.

Before the thieves left the apartment, police say they bound the two men, one of whom managed to free himself after about 50 minutes and call police.