MLA Greg Lawrence to represent himself without a lawyer at criminal trial
Independent Saskatchewan MLA Gregory Samuel Lawrence is currently slated to represent himself, without a lawyer, at his upcoming criminal trial.
That’s according to court documents which indicate his former lawyer, Estes Fonkalsrud, was granted leave to withdraw from the case in mid-July.
In late January, two criminal charges were brought against the now 58-year-old Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA, who resigned from the Saskatchewan Party caucus amid a police investigation. Court records indicate that on June 12 of this year he entered pleas of not guilty to both charges.
He is charged with assaulting Marjorie Lawrence between Feb. 6 and 8, 2019, at or near Moose Jaw, and with choking her while assaulting her between Dec. 12 and 15, 2019, at or near Moose Jaw.
His March 2020 public disclosure statement as an MLA listed Marjorie Lawrence as his spouse. His current public profile on the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan website makes no mention of a spouse.
Court records indicate his lawyer withdrew from the file on July 16. Notes on the record from that appearance state: “One of the Crown witnesses believes that Mr. Fonkalsrud may be a conflict in this matter.”
A note on an Aug. 13 appearance indicates Fonkalsrud appeared as the MLA’s “agent,” speaking on his behalf but not as his lawyer. It signalled to the court that the accused man would represent himself at his trial, currently scheduled to begin Nov. 18.
The note goes on to state that a discussion was held regarding the need for a court-appointed lawyer to conduct cross-examination.
It is not uncommon for such considerations to be made in cases involving a self-represented accused person. In these cases, without a lawyer to conduct cross-examination on behalf of the accused, it potentially leaves the accused person to question the alleged victim.
“Mr. Lawrence does not want a CAC appointment,” the note says, using the acronym for court-appointed counsel.
The accused man has since appeared before a judge for an Aug. 20 case management conference. However, no further advancements were evident on the court record as of Thursday.
Greg Lawrence has indicated he will not be vying for a seat in the coming provincial election.