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Court Briefs
Bail review postponed for HIV positive man

Laura Busch
Northern News Services
Published Friday, Aug 31, 2012

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
An HIV-positive man accused of aggravated sexual assault will wait a little longer to find out if he will be released on bail while awaiting trial.

Bobby Jonathan Kaotalok's defence lawyer, Tom Boyd, asked Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau on Monday to delay his client's bail hearing that had been scheduled for that day because the Crown prosecutor had pointed out deficiencies in the notice they had been given for the hearing.

Kaotalok has been in jail awaiting trial since Feb. 24, 2011 on three counts of aggravated sexual assault. He is accused of having sex with three women without disclosing to them that he is HIV-positive.

A suspect awaiting trial on an indictable offence, which tend to carry harsher prison sentences, has the right to a bail review every 90 days while in custody.

Kaotalok's last bail review took place on April 30 when Supreme Court Justice Karan Shaner denied his release. Shaner recommended that the accused be given a trial date as soon as possible, given the amount of time he has been in jail.

Kaotalok, who was 25 last year, is a slight, young man with short dark hair and glasses. He did not say a word in court Monday, but looked noticeably nonchalant during the proceedings, placing his socked feet up on the glass of the prisoner's box.

While Boyd said that he and his client had hoped for a December trial date, the date has been set for Feb. 4

Kaotalok is now scheduled to have a bail hearing on Sept. 17.

Man accused of pushing elderly woman, shoplifting, stays in jail

A 28-year-old Yellowknife man accused of seriously injuring a 62-year-old woman while trying to flee a store he was accused of shoplifting from will remain behind bars for now.

Jacob Griep had a scheduled bail hearing on Monday. However, his defence lawyer Tom Boyd cancelled the inquiry into his client's potential release because the man's mother was no longer able to offer a residence to her son if he was freed.

Griep faces charges of aggravated assault, shoplifting and breach of probation following an April 24 incident at the downtown Extra Foods grocery store. Griep is accused of pushing over the elderly woman in his attempt to escape after he was approached by store staff and accused of shoplifting.

The Crown was prepared to oppose Griep's release.

"I have no alternative then to order the continued detention of Mr. Griep," said Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau on Monday.

Unrelated charges dropped for Hay River murder suspect

Hay River murder suspect Benedict Corrigal appeared by video in territorial court in Yellowknife on Tuesday when Crown prosecutor Marc Lecorre withdrew four unrelated charges.

Corrigal stands accused of two counts of murder in the June 27 deaths of Hay River residents Garfield McPherson, 64, and Carol Buggins, 48. Until Tuesday, he also faced two separate charges of theft, dating from May 12 and May 15 as well as two related charges of breaching probation.

Fifty-three-year-old Corrigal is scheduled to next appear in court on Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m. by video. Crown co-prosecutor on the case, Dan Rideout, told Yellowknifer that he expects a pre-trial hearing will be scheduled on that date.

Prior to Corrigal's next court appearance, counsel is likely to have a pre-preliminary inquiry conference with the court's chief judge, said Rideout.

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