The lawyer representing a man accused of sexually assaulting a Red Deer woman 14 years earlier has asked for more time to sort out his client’s wishes.
Red Deer lawyer Luke Kurata sought an adjournment on Monday in the proceedings against Lawrence MacPherson, 36, who is now in custody at Red Deer Remand Centre and struggling with a medical issue.
Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder, MacPherson has not been receiving his medication in jail and has been getting an anti-depressant instead, Kurata told Judge Gordon Deck in Red Deer provincial court on Monday.
Remand Centre staff have not allowed MacPherson to take his prescribed medication because it is a type of drug that “presents a risk of abuse,” said Kurata.
He hopes to be able to sort through the resulting difficulties over the next few weeks and then bring his client back to court for a bail hearing and to enter a plea.
Charges were laid against MacPherson last summer after police found a DNA match to evidence from a crime scene in Red Deer. He was arrested in Halifax on March 14 and charged with sexual assault. Police allege that an 18-year-old woman was attacked in a park area near the cemetery in the Normandeau subdivision on July 25, 1998.
MacPherson remains in custody pending his next court appearance, set for Aug. 10.