A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man charged with counterfeit money offences who didn’t show up for his own trial two days in a row.
Provincial court Judge Lois Skanes issued an arrest warrant for Dwayne Robert Hiscock in St. John’s Wednesday morning, after giving him a day to make contact with his lawyer or the court.
Hiscock was meant to go to trial over three days starting Tuesday morning on charges that include three counts each of possessing and using counterfeit money, theft under $5,000 and multiple court order breaches.
Hiscock is also facing multiple charges of failing to show up for court appearances in the past.
Lawyers asked for a 10-minute postponement on the chance Squires was running late Tuesday, but when he didn’t show up, prosecutor Alana Dwyer asked the judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Dwyer told provincial court Skanes her main concern with the situation was the witnesses waiting to testify; a number of civilians had arranged to take time off from work to be in court, she said, and at least three police officers were waiting to take the witness stand as well.
Defence lawyer Adam Foote asked the judge to hold off issuing a warrant until Wednesday morning to give him time to try and locate his client, whom he said he hadn’t seen in a month.
Hiscock was aware of his trial date but didn’t show up for an appointment to prepare for court and hasn’t answered or returned any phone calls, the lawyer said.
