Sask. 'medicine man' accused of sexual assaults has guilty pleas withdrawn
CTV
It’s back to square one for a sexual assault case involving a man who identifies as a traditional Indigenous healer.
It’s back to square one for a sexual assault case involving a man who identifies as a traditional Indigenous healer.
Judge Sanjeev Anand expunged, or erased, Cecil Wolfe’s guilty pleas on Tuesday.
Wolfe is facing 12 counts of sexual assault stemming from his work as a self-proclaimed medicine man from 2013-2021.
Last year, Wolfe pleaded guilty to all counts.
Mid-way through his trial, Wolfe fired his lawyer Loretta Pete Lambert and applied to have his guilty pleas cleared.
Anand ruled Wolfe’s guilty pleas “were not informed.”
In the judge’s decision, Anand said Pete Lambert didn’t explain the criminal consequences of Wolfe’s guilty pleas.