The Welland court case of Richard Lowes plods on.
In March of 2021, Lowes was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with a person under the age of 16.
Mark Evans, lawyer for the accused, appeared in Welland court on Friday, September 22, and said that he had been in discussions with Assistant Crown Prosecutor Stephanie Ford, who is assigned to the case, and is in the process of getting additional input from her with respect to a potential resolution. The matter was adjourned by Justice of the Peace Nancy Rogers-Bain until Friday, October 13. It will be the 36th court appearance in the matter.
A court-ordered publication ban is in place, prohibiting the release of names of the victims and other details. Lowes owns and operates the Country Corner Market, in Fonthill.
Counsel for Steven Soos, a Welland resident and former Pelham council candidate who has been in the news as a social advocate for those suffering from mental health issues, addiction, and homelessness, also appeared before Rogers-Bain on September 22.
Tessa Willebrand appeared in court virtually as agent for Soos’ legal counsel, Andrew Burton. Willebrand said that the defense was awaiting disclosure documents, and requested an October 27 court date, which was granted by Rogers-Bain.
It was Soos’ first appearance in court since being arrested on August 17 on two counts of mischief by Niagara Regional Police.
Soos has gone on record as saying that he is prepared to fight the mischief charges “aggressively,” and insisted that he is innocent.
“It's ridiculous. An individual has been tormenting me, my family, my ex-girlfriend. He made me into a drug slave. He pushed cocaine-laced fentanyl on me, and he ruined my life. I am not guilty. It's such an erosion of public trust, to be arrested for making a legitimate 911 complaint about a guy who was [driving drunk]. I feel that my Charter rights were violated by the police. The police swept all this under the rug for over two years. There are multiple witnesses who know about him harassing me. He's uttered death threats. I don't deserve the smear to my reputation. It's the police trying to criminalize me. They continue to propagate discrimination and racism against me as an Indigenous person. They don’t listen to my side, or pursue evidence that I have provided. I've been tormented. It's affected my mental health. This is not fair, and I’m going to fight for my good name.”
Soos also asserts that he was assaulted by an NRP special constable while in custody, which he said he reported to the authorities.
