Man aborts bail hearing in St. John's courtroom

A Bell Island man charged with breaking into a woman’s home, setting fire to it and killing her dog aborted his bail hearing after it had gotten underway Tuesday.
Forty-six-year-old James John Pendergast is charged with break and entry, arson and animal cruelty in connection with the Feb. 10 incident. He had been serving a four-month house arrest sentence at the time, having been convicted in November of assaulting the woman.
Pendergast’s house arrest was revoked when he was arrested on the newest charges, and he was taken into custody to serve the remainder of his sentence at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary. He has been in jail ever since.
The evidence presented at Pendergast’s bail hearing is banned from publication due to a court order requested by the Crown. Once Pendergast indicated he was waiving the hearing, he consented to be remanded in custody pending his next court appearance, set for Thursday morning.
In certain cases, an accused person who is denied bail will not be eligible for enhanced credit if they are later convicted and sentenced.