Lawyers for British sailors need time to review evidence in sexual assault case

HALIFAX – The case of four British sailors charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm was adjourned Wednesday to give defence attorneys time to review the evidence against their clients.

Simon Radford, Joshua Finbow, Craig Stoner and Darren Smalley have all secured legal representation since their first appearances in court.

Three of the lawyers appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Wednesday. All of them said they needed more time to review files disclosed by the Crown.

The case is scheduled to return to court on June 30 when the accused will enter pleas and elect which court to be tried in.

The men were in Nova Scotia to take part in a hockey tournament when the Crown alleges they participated in a “group sexual assault” on April 10 in a barracks at CFB Shearwater in Halifax.

None of the accused appeared in court Wednesday.

Outside the court, defence lawyer Stan MacDonald said he doubted whether any of the accused would show up for the next court date, given the fact they are being held at a military base in Alberta.

“We have been provided with some disclosure but don’t believe it’s complete yet so we need additional time to review and make decisions going forward,” MacDonald said.