By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
During a brief court appearance on Monday, June 14, the lawyer representing Ian Matthew Huskins asked that the matter be set over for one week. The matter had appeared on the provincial court docket for the purpose of setting a date for a preliminary inquiry.
Huskins stands accused of first-degree murder in the July 2009 death of Neil Joseph Blades Jr. He is now being represented by Yarmouth lawyer Clifford Hood.
In court on Monday, Hood requested that the matter be set over for a week, saying he had just very recently received further Crown disclosure in the case. He has also been in discussions with the Crown about the availability of witnesses.
The matter is rescheduled for June 21.
Two days of court time had been scheduled in May for Huskins’ preliminary hearing, however his attorney at the time, Kentville lawyer Chris Manning, had to withdraw as Huskins’ lawyer because of a perceived conflict of interest. A lawyer who was assisting Manning in the case had, last fall, had a discussion with Jermaine Middleton, who was a co-accused in the case. The discussion did not involve any specifics about the case, but rather was for the purpose of discussing legal procedures pertaining to obtaining legal counsel.
Two people in this case have been pleaded guilty and been sentenced to accessory to murder after the fact. Middleton received a three-year prison sentence and Alicia Anderson received a conditional sentence of two years less a day of house arrest.
