On the same day a judge commented on the slow pace of David Wesley Bobbitt’s dangerous offender hearing, the matter was adjourned for another three weeks.
Bobbitt, 38, has pleaded guilty to seven offences related to the 2011 assault and unlawful confinement of a woman inside his second-hand shop in downtown Penticton.
The Crown is seeking to have Bobbitt declared a dangerous offender, a designation that carries with it an indeterminate jail sentence.
The hearing, which has run sporadically in June, September and October, was scheduled to continue through this week in B.C. Supreme Court in Penticton, but on Tuesday afternoon was adjourned until Nov. 10 to set a date for continuation.
Crown counsel Nashina Devji said Wednesday the hearing was adjourned after Bobbitt’s lawyer abandoned several applications it had before the court.
Defence counsel James Pennington confirmed that, and said the break will also allow time to track down a witness he wants to recall.
That witness is a woman who testified at the hearing in June that she was the victim of a February 2007 attack at the hands of Bobbitt.
Justice Peter Rogers noted Tuesday that the hearing had been “anything but expeditious,” but agreed to recall the witness since Bobbitt has a right to make a full defence.