TRURO, N.S. — A Colchester County man has elected to be tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court by a judge alone on sex-related charges.
Members of the RCMP’s provincial internet child exploitation unit arrested Myles Lewis, 51, at his home in Five Islands last July 30 on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography.
Investigators went to his residence that day with a search warrant after receiving information from the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre in Ottawa on June 8.
Police also charged Lewis with committing an historical sexual assault on a child. That investigation began in 2019, when the allegation was reported.
Lewis is accused of sexually assaulting the complainant over a period of nine years, between January 1997 and December 2005.
A lawyer appeared in Truro provincial court Wednesday on behalf of Lewis and requested two separate trials in Supreme Court – one on the child pornography matters and one on the sexual assault charge.
The lawyer said Lewis is not disputing there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial but is looking to test the Crown’s cases at preliminary inquiries in provincial court.
The inquiry into the child pornography allegations will be held in May, and the preliminary hearing on the sexual assault charge is set for August.
Lewis was in custody for almost two weeks last summer before he was released on $20,000 bail with strict conditions.
He was ordered not to use the internet or possess a cellphone capable of connecting to the internet, be around any children unless one of their parents is present, or have any contact with the complainant.
Lewis is only allowed in Truro on Mondays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. for the purpose of going to Walmart, Atlantic Superstore or Sobeys. He was also ordered not to attend any public libraries or be within three blocks of the libraries in Truro and Parrsboro.
