The trial for a man accused of raping vulnerable women in and around the Calgary area has been derailed after he fired his lawyer a second time.
Richard Mantha, 60, faces 20 charges alleging he drugged and raped women, most of whom he met through their work in Calgary’s sex trade.
The charges include kidnapping, administering noxious substances, forcible confinement and sexual assault with a weapon.
On Wednesday, Mantha, whose ability to speak has been affected by a recent stroke, provided a handwritten letter to his lawyer that was purportedly written by a fellow inmate.
Judge ‘very concerned’ about delay
The letter indicates Mantha’s desire to fire his lawyer and for a new lawyer from Lethbridge to step in.
After firing his first set of lawyers mid-trial back in January, Mantha’s trial was set to resume in November.
Justice Judith Shriar called Wednesday’s development “an unexpected turn of events” and described it as unfortunate.
“This matter, for Mr. Mantha’s sake and for the sake of the community, has to come to an end one way or another,” said Shriar.
The judge expressed concern about the viability of the upcoming trial.
“I don’t think I can prevent Mr. Mantha from discharging his lawyers,” said Shriar. “I can’t force that, even though I am very concerned about the delay.”
‘It will derail everything’
Prosecutor Dominique Mathurin — who still has 26 witnesses to call, including two alleged victims — expressed frustration.
“It will derail everything in terms of potentially being able to start the trial on Nov. 18th,” she said.
When Lethbridge lawyer Justin Dean appeared in court over video link, he confirmed the Crown’s fears.
“I am not available for the currently scheduled trial date,” said Dean.
Catching up on the case will involve reviewing 10,000 pages of disclosure and 1,000 pages of trial transcripts, some of which are in French, Shriar told Dean.
The Lethbridge lawyer said he would meet with Mantha at the Calgary Remand Centre on Wednesday evening to determine if he can take on the trial.
Trial snags
This case has been riddled with snags over the last 10 months.
In January, more than a week into the trial and after powerful testimony from four of Mantha’s alleged victims, he fired his lawyers.
In May, Mantha suffered what his new lawyer, Marc Crerar, described as a “serious” stroke.
Weeks later, a report was ordered to determine if Mantha was medically fit to stand trial.
By September, Dr. Reilly Smith’s report was filed in court, finding Mantha is fit to stand trial.
Mantha can’t speak
But Crerar raised concerns about Mantha’s ability to communicate verbally — an effect from the stroke — which could affect whether he can testify in his own defence.
Crerar was considering challenging the fitness finding and had arranged for Smith to be in court to testify on Wednesday so that the parties could better understand Mantha’s abilities when it comes to communication.
After the letter was presented to the judge, Smith was dismissed.
The parties will be back in court on Tuesday to determine the next steps in the case.