$2 million theft case adjourned for fifth time

Michelle Bouchard

(CNS): A Woman due to face trial today for allegedly conning an elderly man out of over $2 million while she was involved in a relationship with him will now not answer the charges until 29 March 2016. In what is the fifth postponement of the case against Michelle Bouchard (54), the crown was forced to vacate this week’s hearing because of problems with overseas witnesses. The trial has been deferred four times already as a result of defence requests, including the most recent at the beginning of this month when witnesses were scheduled to appear.

The most recent change at the request of the defence has thrown the plans for the crown’s witnesses into disarray and not all of them were available as a result of the latest delay to the hearing’s timetable.

The investigation into the allegations of theft against Bouchard, a Canadian national, began in October 2012. She was charged with eight counts of theft, plus one of transferring criminal property, one of forgery and one more of obtaining property by deception. The woman has denied all eleven charges.

Since her first appearance in court over two years ago in July 2013, Bouchard has made numerous applications regarding her legal representation, which has included a number of changes, applications over legal aid after her assets were frozen and various other hearings, which have led to the four trial date postponements.

The most recent change was when the court agreed to delay the start of this month’s trial on 3 August to the 17 August but this caused problems for the prosecution, which was forced to ask for another trial date last week because witnesses were no longer available.

With a packed court docket, the first available date is next March. Allowing the adjournment, Acting judge Justice Robin McMillan said that there would be no further adjournments of the trial.