Stephans seeking court appointed legal aid, trial reimbursement
LETHBRIDGE – David and Collet Stephan, the couple originally found guilty in 2016 of failing to provide the necessaries of life to their 19-month-old son Ezekiel, must file three new applications before the end of November if they hope to potentially get court ordered legal aid for their trial next June.
A new trial was ordered for the pair, after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the original trial judge did not properly instruct jurors “in a way that the jury could understand.”
Ezekiel died of meningitis in 2012.
The two — who appeared in Court of Queens Bench in Lethbridge Thursday, Nov. 8, before Justice Elizabeth Hughes via CCTV from Calgary — told the court they had been unsuccessful in applying for Legal Aid, but still hoped to file a Rowbotham Application (court ordered counsel when legal aid is denied) in conjunction with a Fisher Application (court appoints a specific lawyer to a case, for a specific reason).