Armed police officers stood both inside and outside of Saskatoon Court of Queen's Bench in anticipation of testimony from a police informant during the resumption of a first-degree murder trial.
But the trial for three men charged with the alleged hit-for-hire of Saskatoon man Isho Hana was adjourned until next week to give the defence time to deal with new information from the witness.
Prosecutor Michael Segu told court that police provided the Crown with a statement given by the informant last month.
However, defence lawyer Morris Bodnar said he was "blindsided" by the new information and asked for an adjournment of up to almost a year.
He said even if the Crown only recently became aware of the informant's statement, he believes police may have known about it for months or even years.
Long Nam Luu, Kenneth Jacob Tingle and Jonathan Kenneth Dombowsky are accused in the killing of Hana, who was fatally shot in 2004.
The trial began in September but was adjourned for nearly five months after Neil Yakimchuk, who has been convicted of shooting Hana, refused to testify.
The court has been in a voir dire — or trial within a trial — so the judge hearing the case without a jury could determine if Yakimchuk's taped confession is admissable as evidence against the other accused.
Yakimchuk was the target of a so-called Mr. Big sting in which RCMP officers posed as members of a criminal organization.
(CKOM)
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