In case you missed it, an update on the Lowes case:
What was specifically set aside as a court appearance to select a date for a trial instead took a turn yesterday, and ended up in familiar territory for Richard Lowes—yet another deferral.
Tuesday’s brief court appointment for Lowes, who has been charged with four sex crimes, brought the grand total to 50 deferrals spread across three years and two months since the charges were filed.
No stranger to procedural oddities, Lowes’ court appearance on June 18 began in similar fashion. Just seconds before it was set to begin, court staff quietly removed the docket from Courtroom 5, where Lowes was scheduled to appear, and instead posted it to Courtroom 6.
Once inside, Lowes’ matter was quickly shifted to the top of the docket. His lawyer, Mark Evans, requested another week in order to work out the last details of a potential plea sentence with the Crown. Justice Wolfe abided and adjourned the issue to next Monday, June 24.
Lowes, owner of the Country Corner Market in Fonthill, was charged in March 2021 with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with a person under the age of 16. His case had already been deferred 49 separate times before finding its way back to the St. Catharines courthouse for its 50th deferral this week.
If all goes according to the schedule as suggested yesterday, next Monday will either see Lowes given a date to go to trial, or a date to enter a plea.