A St. John's man charged with violent crimes against women in this province and Ontario is still in jail for now.
Kevin Terry Evans, 29, made a short appearance in provincial court Friday morning via video from Her Majesty's Penitentiary, where he has been held for the past 10 days.
Evans was charged early last week with assaulting a woman twice and threatening her life the previous weekend. He had indicated he wanted to seek bail, but later agreed to remain in custody without a bail hearing for the time being.
Evans was previously represented by private defence lawyer Averill Baker, but when his case was called on Friday, the court heard he is now seeking Legal Aid instead. He will be called in court again on Sept. 11.
Evans was first charged in Ontario in January with eight counts of assault and one count each of sexual assault, assault with a knife and mischief by damaging property, all related to the same woman, an ex-girlfriend. He was later charged with distributing an intimate image - a sex video - of a different woman without her consent. The offences are said to have occurred while he was living in that province.
A warrant was issued for Evans’ arrest in Ontario, but he had moved back to St. John’s at that point, and police here had no authority to arrest him. In mid-April, however, the RNC charged Evans with three assaults and two counts of choking against a different woman, this time in St. John’s. Police didn't take Evans into custody, but gave him a court date for the following month.
Before that date arrived, an Ontario judge expanded the jurisdiction of the arrest warrant, and RNC officers arrested Evans the next day. Ontario police arrived and escorted him back to that province, where he was released on bail on conditions, including that he reside with a family member in St. John’s.
With the most recent alleged offences, which involve a fourth woman, Evans has a total of 20 charges. He is said to have met the woman on online dating sites.
The Crown has elected to proceed with the local charges against Evans by way of indictment, meaning he could face a stiffer sentence if he is eventually convicted. None of the charges have yet been proven in court.
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