Priest's Pretrial Continues in February

The Tribune
November 29, 2012

http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2012/11/28/priests-pretrial-continues-in-february


WELLAND - The pretrial hearing for Rheal LeBlanc will continue in the new year.

The Catholic priest’s case was before a St. Catharines courtroom on Tuesday for its first pretrial date and then before a Welland courtroom on Wednesday.

The pretrial will continue on Feb. 22 at 9:15 a.m. in St. Catharines.

LeBlanc, a former principal of Notre Dame College School in Welland and Saint Paul Catholic High School in Niagara Falls, was charged with possession of child pornography in December 2011 after a search warrant was executed at a Welland residence.

LeBlanc’s attorney, George Walker, informed the court Wednesday that the first available dates that can allocate the time needed for trial span over 10 nonconsecutive dates from Nov. 4 to Dec. 3, 2013.

Crown attorney Bob Mahler raised concerns that the suggested trial dates go beyond a reasonable timeline for the case to be addressed.

“That’s 12 months away. It’s very problematic,” he told the court.

During the pretrial continuation in February, the case will be reviewed and, if possible, the amount of time needed for trial will be shortened in hopes of moving up the trial date, Mahler said.

Following the pretrial continuation, the case will return to a Welland courtroom on Feb. 25 at 10 a.m. to set future dates.