A B.C. man convicted of aggravated sexual assault is looking for a new lawyer as the Crown seeks to start a dangerous offender hearing.
Gordon James Joseph Leclerc, 74, was charged in June 2022 with aggravated sexual assault and sexual assault with a cane in connection with a September 2021 incident.
He entered not guilty pleas to both charges in May 2023.
A conviction was entered on the aggravated sexual assault charge March 18, 2025.
The second charge was dismissed almost exactly a year earlier.
Defence lawyer John Waddington told Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Jennifer Oulton June 9 that he had withdrawn from representing Leclerc. That drew an outburst from Leclerc, who was appearing by video.
Crown prosecutor Brendan McCabe told Oulton he would be bringing an application for a hearing to determine if Leclerc should be deemed a dangerous offender under the Criminal Code of Canada.
A BC Prosecution Service information document said such designations are for people convicted of serious personal injury offences and pose a threat to the life, safety, or physical or mental well-being of others.
The document said patterns of repetitive behaviour showing a failure in restraint or indifference to the consequences of behaviour could be a reason for a designation.
Or, it said, a designation could be applied where, “the brutal nature of the offence compels the conclusion that the offender is unlikely to be inhibited by normal standards of behavioural restraint.”
The designation can mean an indeterminate prison sentence.
McCabe consented to an adjournment to June 24 for Leclerc to find a new lawyer.
“The stakes are high for Mr. Leclerc,” McCabe said. “Of course, he’s going to need new counsel.”
While Waddington told the court his former client had someone in mind, Leclerc let forth another outburst.
“I don’t know any lawyers,” he said. “I’ll sit by myself. To try and get hold of one in this place is ridiculous.”
