Defence to test incest complainant’s evidence

Nova Scotia man preliminary inquiry on charges of sexually abusing daughter in New Brunswick set for spring to determine if case should go to trial in Court of King’s Bench

Counsel for a Nova Scotia man accused of incest said Friday the defence wants to hear from - and cross-examine - a lone witness at the preliminary inquiry: the complainant.

The case of a 57-year-old Dartmouth, N.S., man was back on the Fredericton provincial court docket Friday to schedule a preliminary inquiry.

Through defence lawyer Edward Derrah, the accused previously elected to be tried in the Court of King’s Bench by judge alone, without a jury, on charges of sexual assault, incest and sexual interference, alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2019, and Sept. 30, 2022, in the Coles Island area, east of Fredericton.