Stephen Hopkins will go to trial in January
Chief Justice Raymond Whalen once again implores defendant, accused of attacking teenager in her St. John’s home, to get a lawyer
In court Monday, just as he had done before, Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Chief Justice Raymond Whalen implored Stephen Hopkins to get a lawyer.
“You should be represented by a lawyer,” he told Hopkins, who attended his arraignment by video from prison. “I will again recommend you reconsider that. These are serious charges. The trial matter and the evidence may be complex.”
Hopkins, 30, said nothing of the chief justice’s advice, but carried on with the arrangements of his upcoming jury trial, at which he plans to self-represent.
He is facing charges of sexual assault, break and entry, forcible confinement, uttering threats and breaching a court order in connection with the daylight attack on a child in her own home in St. John’s last September.
Hopkins has previously told the court he “sees no need” for a laywer.
John Brooks has been appointed amicus curiae in the matter — an impartial lawyer who will provide information and advice on issues of law in cases where a party is not represented by counsel.
After introducing himself to Hopkins in the courtroom Monday, Brooks, too, urged him to seek representation.
“I want to echo the chief justice’s comments. These are very serious charges and I would highly recommend that you retain a lawyer,” Brooks said.
Prosecutor Jennifer Standen indicated two weeks will be needed for the trial, and said she plans to apply for a lawyer to cross-examine the young complainant, instead of Hopkins doing it.
Whalen scheduled the trial to begin Jan. 10, 2022.
“Very well,” Hopkins responded.
“What amount of time would the Crown be requesting for my sentencing should I be found guilty?” he asked the judge at one point.
Whalen explained he should discuss the issue with Standen in private, and directed Brooks to make arrangements for that to happen.
It is alleged Hopkins knocked on the door of a home in Cowan Heights and when a 17-year-old girl answered, he asked her for a glass of water. He then allegedly pushed his way inside the home and attacked her.
Hopkins is a registered sex offender who had been out of jail for less than two months at the time. He had spent a year behind bars on remand for sexually assaulting two women on the Long Pond Trail in St. John’s, among other charges.