A man charged with human trafficking in Sudbury has his case adjourned yet again, and in the words of Justice Pierre Bradley, “it is entirely the defendant’s fault.”
Paul Castonguay appeared in Sudbury court on Dec. 15 (Friday), facing charges including trafficking in persons under 18, material benefit from sexual services, and several counts of assault.
Castonguay had not contacted his lawyer in three weeks, said his attorney Dennis Michel, despite repeated attempts to contact him through family members. Castonguay does not have a phone, Michel told the court.
Castonguay had also applied for legal aid, but as he had not met with his lawyer, his legal aid was cancelled. His lawyer told the court he was unwilling to bear the costs of the case without further information from his client.
Castonguay had reinstated his legal aid just before he entered the court Friday.
Michel told the judge he was shocked when his client arrived for court. He told the judge he mentioned his predicament to the Crown attorney, Mathieu Ansell, just minutes before.
Michel asked for an adjournment as he was unprepared for the case.
“I have not spoken to my client in three weeks, which I would need to do in order to be prepared for the witness testimony and cross-examination,” he said. “It is too important for me to just muddle through.”
In his submissions to the court, Ansell told the judge his witnesses were prepared to testify. Both under the age of 18, the witnesses would be testifying to their traumatic experiences, he said, and it was unfair for them to “endure the psychological preparation necessary to testify” once again, as they were already prepared.
“The defendant was arrested and charged in May of 2021, which means we are going on 31 months since,” said Ansell. “The victims are prepared to proceed, and despite his knowledge of the defendant potentially not appearing, he never advised the Crown.”
Though Justice Bradley was hesitant, and appeared displeased, he granted the adjournment.
Castonguay will next face the court on Dec. 29 at 10:00 a.m. for trial.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com
