Start of Tony Humby trial on dozens of sexual offences delayed for 2 weeks
Crown tells court ‘we’re working on some things behind the scenes’
Tony Humby appeared in person at provincial court for the first time in nearly two years Monday morning, but his time there was brief.
Proceedings lasted just over a minute, as Judge Rolf Pritchard granted a defence application to delay the start of Humby's trial until March 18.
The Crown consented.
"We're working on some things behind the scenes over the next couple of weeks," prosecutor Deidre Badcock told the court.
There were no other details provided.
Humby, 64, is set to stand trial on 72 charges related to sexual violence against youth going back two decades.
The trial had been scheduled for seven weeks, running intermittently between the beginning of March and the end of May.
Humby is also facing another 15 charges, including multiple counts of human trafficking.
There are a total of a dozen complainants in relation to those combined 87 alleged offences.
Humby has been in custody since his arrest in April 2023. He is facing an additional two charges of sexual assault during his time on remand at Her Majesty's Penitentiary.
Until Monday morning, most of his appearances in court have been by video from HMP.
Humby's co-accused, Bruce Escott, is scheduled to be sentenced in the same courtroom on Tuesday morning.
Escott pleaded guilty to seven offences, and had another seven withdrawn as part of a plea deal.
The Crown wants Escott to be sentenced to 18 years; the defence, half of that.
Humby and Escott were neighbours in the east end of St. John's.
The agreed statement of facts in Escott's case alleged that the two men worked together to sexually exploit vulnerable youths for nearly two decades.
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