HALIFAX — A Halifax navy intelligence officer accused in a rare case of espionage remained in custody Friday after being denied bail by a provincial court judge.
Judge Barbara Beach turned down Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle’s application for bail, outlining her reasons in a decision that took roughly 40 minutes to read.
“We’re disappointed that he wasn’t released from custody,” defence lawyer Mike Taylor said outside court.
“It’s not a total surprise. ... There were serious considerations that had to be looked at by the judge.”
A broad publication ban was ordered covering evidence presented at Delisle’s bail hearing Wednesday.
Delisle, charged with communicating information to a foreign entity that could harm national interests, has been in custody at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility since his arrest in January.
Delisle, who turned 41 Friday, glanced at family members as he left court, dressed in the same blue jeans, blue hooded sweatshirt and black loafers he wore at an appearance earlier this week.
He will return to court May 8, when his lawyer said he will provide an update on the amount of material that has been disclosed to him by the Crown.
Taylor said he expected to have most if not all of the material within the next two weeks, adding that “there was a fair amount of disclosure.”
He said a certain amount of that information has been redacted.
“It remains to be seen whether some of that will be unedited as we move down the line,” he said. “We’ll have to move forward and determine if we’re going to challenge any of that.”
He said his client could choose to move the case to Supreme Court and have dates set for a preliminary inquiry. The Crown declined comment.
Delisle was charged under a section of the Security of Information Act that was passed by the House of Commons after the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.