A Gander man suspected of killing his twin daughters is facing charges in connection with an incident that was said to have happened while in jail.
Nelson Hart appeared in provincial court today.
On Jan. 30, Hart reportedly assaulted three correctional officers and uttered threats to one of them.
Duty counsel Jane Fitzpatrick originally told Judge Greg Brown that Hart had agreed to plead guilty to the uttering threats charge in exchange for the Crown withdrawing the assault charge.
They agreed to take a break so she and Crown prosecutor Danny Vavasour could discuss the facts of the case.
When proceedings resumed, Fitzpatrick said instead of entering pleas, she and Vavasour will need more time to sort things out.
The case will be back in court March 25.
Hart had been convicted of murdering his daughters and was given a life sentence.
However, it was overturned. Hart could be freed, but is still in jail because he has yet to file an application for bail.
When Hart was at the NL Court of Appeal in early January, he complained to the judge he had been mistreated.
Meanwhile, today, the Supreme Court of Canada granted leave to the Crown to file an application to appeal Hart's conviction.
It will take a few months to file it. The appeal may not be heard until the fall or next winter, according to prosecutor Francis Knickle.
---Earlier related story -
The Canadian Press — Ottawa
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear a Crown appeal in the case of a Newfoundland man sentenced to life in prison after his two daughters drowned.
The Crown is asking the justices to overturn an appeal court ruling that ordered a new trial for Nelson Hart.
He was found guilty in 2007 of first-degree murder in the deaths of three-year-old twins Karen and Krista on Aug. 4, 2002, at Gander Lake in central Newfoundland.
Last fall, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal ruled 2-1 that a confession Hart gave during an elaborate undercover RCMP operation should not have been entered as evidence.
The appeal judges were divided on the key question of whether the confession obtained during the so-called “Mr. Big” sting was the result of improper conduct that violated Hart’s rights.
As usual in applications for leave, the Supreme Court gave no reasons for agreeing to hear the case.
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