In the courts for more than five years, the trial of David Murray, who is charged with 45 counts of fraud, has been delayed once again. He was to continue his trial Dec. 19.
As Ontario Court Justice Louise Serré will not be available, the dates originally scheduled for Dec. 17-20 have been pushed to 2025.
That is, pushed to Feb. 13 and 14, March 10,11, 13-14, and May 5, 6, 8, and 26.
Murray was first arrested and charged in May 2019 with 20 counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of fraud under $5,000 for taking deposits for work and never accomplishing the work promised.
In November 2019, Murray was arrested again and charged with another 22 counts of fraud, bringing the total to 45 charges.
In speaking with Sudbury.com in April 2019, Murray maintained that the province's cancellation of the GreenON rebate program is to blame for unfinished work.
Murray indicated that the cancellation of the program left him with a backlog of jobs and a timeline to complete them that made his job next to impossible.
The months that followed saw Murray charged for numerous counts of fraud on two separate occasions, having his business licenses revoked by the city of Greater Sudbury and a lengthy court process spanning back to July, 2019.
David Murray took the stand July 4, 8, and 11 of this year to tell his side of the story, but so far, has only testified regarding 10 of the 45 charges he is facing.
Toronto Crown prosecutor Patrick Travers from the province’s Serious Fraud Office appeared virtually, as did Murray’s attorney, Stefan Peters, while David Murray testified in the courtroom before Justice Serré.
And though the specifics would change, Murray’s former clients testified that the work they paid for was never completed or even started. For some jobs, Murray had yet to file for permits.
They accused him of backdating contracts, not contacting the clients, requesting excess deposit money in exchange for money off the total, and accusing Murray of bullying and threats. One former client even accuses him of physical violence, all of which Murray denies.
Murray has been without a business license since 2019, and that year also saw investigations into his work by SNAP Finance, a company he referred his clients to for financing, as well as an investigation by Ontario’s Consumer Protection Office.
Murray denies all the accusations, and has since day one.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter at Sudbury.com.