The trial of 73-year-old Claro Recto Belen, who is charged with sexual interference, sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching, and exposing his genitals to a minor, has been put on hold. On Tuesday, Justice Holli Kuski Bassett agreed to an amendment proposed by the Crown that saw the expansion of the date range of the alleged offenses, from Feb. 3, 2024, to between Aug. 1, 2023, and Feb. 3, 2024. On Wednesday, defense counsel Nicholas Robinson asked the court for a two-week adjournment in the trial due to the ‘seismic shift’ in the date range of the alleged offenses. However, Kuski Bassett ordered Crown and defense to come to an agreed statement of facts by Thursday at 2 p.m. The trial will resume Thursday at 3 p.m. If the statement of facts cannot be agreed upon, arguments will take place to determine if the complainant will have to be questioned again in court, pertaining to the expanded dates of the alleged offenses.
