The man and woman accused of assaulting Michael Marcil, who is better known by his drag persona Dixie Landers, made a brief first appearance in Ottawa court on Thursday morning.
Police announced on Jun 28 that Sheri-Lee Rand, 29, was charged with assault in the May 26 incident. Her co-accused, 26-year-old Andrew Lefevbre, was charged with assault causing bodily harm.
A brawl at the Centretown Pub shortly after 2am on May 26 left Marcil with several broken bones, a fractured skull and brain injuries.
Rand stood briefly before the judge in front of a busy courtroom. Sharply dressed in a pale blouse and grey pin-striped trousers, Rand stood alone in the middle of the courtroom and didn’t utter a word during the few moments she appeared in front of the court. A representative for her lawyer asked that Rand’s arraignment on the assault charges be pushed back two weeks. She will appear in court again on Aug 9, when a trial date may be set.
Lefebvre’s short, stocky frame was outfitted in a crisp white polo shirt and khakis that made him stand out among the crowd of accused, many of whom wore casual t-shirts and shorts on a humid summer day. Lefebvre’s case was called near the end of the court’s list for the day, because he has not yet retained a lawyer to represent him. When asked by the judge if he would seek legal counsel, Lefebvre timidly replied that he would be obtaining the services of a lawyer.
Lefebvre deftly used the legal terminology “disclosure” to request the prosecution’s documents outlining evidence to be used in the trial. After a new date, Aug 8, was set for his arraignment, Lefebvre briefly appeared confused about the next steps in the court proceedings and asked the judge if he should give the disclosure documents to his lawyer, and if the lawyer should come to his next court appearance. After the judge instructed Lefebvre to have his lawyer look over the documents and accompany him to his next court date, Lefebvre quietly thanked the judge before exiting the courtroom.
Trial proceedings for the accused are not likely to start until February 2008 at the earliest. Although Rand could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, and Lefebvre could face up to 10 years, a more likely sentence is probation.
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