Justin Jordan wants to withdraw his guilty plea to the stabbing of a fellow inmate on the grounds that he was “high on cocaine and stuff” at the time he entered it.
That’s what Jordan, who was in custody last October when he pleaded guilty to the stabbing and is still in custody, told a provincial court judge Friday morning.
Jordan had been scheduled to represent himself on an application to withdraw the plea, having fired his lawyer earlier this month at the same time the lawyer, Jennifer Curran, announced Legal Aid was cancelling his representation.
She didn’t get into details at the time, but Jordan said he wanted to self-represent because, “I’m telling my lawyer what I want to do and she won’t do it.”
When his case was called Friday, Curran officially withdrew from the case.
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Man accused in prison stabbing to represent himself in St. John’s court
Jordan said he wanted Legal Aid representation again, and wanted to know the reasons why his certificate had been cancelled.
Judge Mike Madden scheduled Jordan’s next appearance for June 28, asking prosecutor Jason House to clarify information with Legal Aid and to provide Jordan with some legal documents he’d need if he does eventually represent himself.
Jordan is looking to take back the guilty plea he entered in connection with the June 2017 stabbing of accused murderer Trent Butt in Her Majesty’s Penitentiary. Butt, who is awaiting a first-degree murder trial for the death of his five-year-old daughter, Quinn, was not seriously injured.
The court had originally been set to hear Jordan’s application to that effect in April, but Curran expressed concerns with Jordan’s health and asked for a psychiatric assessment. The judge declined, pointing out Jordan had already been assessed twice and had been deemed fit for trial.
“I’m not fit,” Jordan insisted, explaining he had been taken off his medication in prison.
Jordan, 25, has caused concern in the past with his behaviour and outbursts in court, at one point giving a judge the middle finger and demanding she stand up.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
