Randy Biggin is being given one more chance to get a lawyer to represent him on armed robbery charges.
Biggin, 25, was arrested a short time after the Ultramar gas station on Mount Bernard Avenue in Corner Brook was held up at knifepoint and cash stolen from the store last April 28.
Besides armed robbery, Biggin was charged with being disguised with intent to commit an offence and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was subsequently also charged with breaking into Targett Trucking in Massey Drive and stealing gas two weeks prior to the alleged armed robbery.
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The theft of gas charge was withdrawn last August when Judge Catherine Allen-Westby agreed to enter not guilty charges on Biggin’s behalf, at the request of Crown prosecutor Adam Sparkes, because Biggin had not been making sufficient attempts to retain a lawyer.
When he appeared before Judge Kymil Howe in provincial court Tuesday, the not guilty pleas needed to be struck. That’s because, when the pleas were entered last September, the court had actually also deemed he should be tried in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador following a preliminary inquiry into his matters.
Because the preliminary inquiry would determine if he should be committed to stand trial in Supreme Court, Howe noted it was improper for Biggin to have entered any pleas in provincial court yet. He should not have to enter any pleas until he is arraigned in Supreme Court, if he is committed to stand trial.
Sparkes said Tuesday this was Biggin’s 13th court appearance and asked once again for there to be progress made in the case.
Biggin indicated to the court he was in the process of retaining private counsel. Howe told him he had better get on that because she set two preliminary inquiries — one into the armed robbery and one into the break and entry — for March 12 and 13 respectively and said he would have to represent himself at those proceedings if he didn’t have a lawyer to do so.
