Trial date set in extraordinary Lalo case

Extraordinary security measures surrounded a Halifax courthouse Monday. Sheriff's officers ran metal detectors over anyone entering the courtroom, searching for weapons.

The precautions seemed unusual for a hearing simply to set a trial date, but little about this case is ordinary.

It involves files gone missing in a prison, a police officer removed from the investigation, and a man reputed to be facing the most charges at one time in Nova Scotia's history.

Cesar Lalo is notorious in Nova Scotia. He's already been convicted of sexually assaulting seven boys while he was their probation officer. Another 50 men and one woman have laid other complaints.

Problems with this case arose in the three years since the charges began coming in. In January, crown prosecutors asked police to redo some of their investigation.

In fact, the police officer who did the original work is now under investigation herself, for negligence in handling the case.

Police are now looking for people to back up some of the complaints. For instance, one boy says he was 12 when Lalo began abusing him, and that Lalo tattooed the boy's arm with their initials to mark their love. The boy says his girlfriend knew of the tattoo and police want to find her.

Lalo's lawyers are also worried. They don't think they've seen all the evidence the crown has. Four boxes were supposedly sent to Lalo in prison. Prison officials can only find two.

A jury will finally begin to hear the facts of this case in November in the first trial. The 135 charges have been broken down into six different cases.