CALGARY 鈥� A French-language trial for a man accused of sexually assaulting seven women was delayed Monday for an undetermined period of time.
Richard Robert Mantha, 59, faces numerous charges that include kidnapping, threats causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon and administering a noxious substance.
Mantha, who has ties to Quebec, was denied bail last summer and has been in custody since he was arrested last April.
His trial, which is to be held completely in French, was set to begin Monday and run until Feb. 9.
Defence lawyer Kim Arial said she will be making a severance application to split the case into seven separate trials, although she had not yet filed that application with the court.
Crown prosecutor Dominique Mathurin said she would need time to review the application once it is filed.
Justice Judith Shrier said in both French and English that the delay was "very disappointing," but she agreed to adjourn court until Wednesday.
At that time, the court could either hear the application or set a date to determine when it could be heard.
Police have said the women allege they were approached by a man, then drugged and taken to another location, where they were physically and sexually assaulted.
Additional charges were laid after Mantha was arrested as more complainants came forward. He now faces about 20 charges related to the seven women.
A police spokeswoman said last week one of the women has since died in an unrelated incident but that the Crown still plans to proceed to trial on those charges.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2024.
The Canadian Press
