More time may be needed for assault hearing
By Shurtz, Delon on April 7, 2020.
Delon Shurtz
lethbridge herald
The trial for a 19-year-old Lethbridge man accused in an attack on a teenager last year remains up in the air while lawyers determine whether more time will be needed to run the hearing.
The five-hour trial for Alexander Roxby Styra is scheduled to run June 9, but Monday during a hearing in Lethbridge provincial court the Crown noted it may require more than a day.
The Crown and defence agreed to arrange a pre-trial conference to discuss the issue with a judge, and determine whether a new trial date will have to be scheduled, or the trial time reduced to accommodate the June 9 sitting. The matter is set to return to court next Tuesday to speak to the issue.
In the meantime Styra, who faces charges of aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft, remains in custody while he and his lawyer continue to discuss a bail plan.
Styra and four others, including three minors, were charged following a gang-style attack Dec. 6 on a 16-year-old boy in an alley in the 200 block of Mayor Magrath Drive North.
Police reported a resident heard a commotion in the alley and saw a group of people running away. The resident heard a call for help and discovered the boy had been stabbed. The victim was transported to hospital then transferred to Calgary for treatment of serious injuries.
Police said the boy had arranged to meet an 18-year-old woman, who then arranged for a group of her friends to accompany her and confront him. The woman led the victim down the alley past her hiding friends, and they assaulted him from behind. The victim was punched, kicked and stabbed several times before his assailants fled.
The next day police searched a home and found the knife they believe was used in the attack. They also recovered a stolen vehicle.
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