Michael Derrick Robicheau pleaded not guilty yesterday to a crime so violent it sparked an overhaul of late-night security at gas stations in the province.
Prosecutors allege Robicheau entered an Ultramar station on Portland Street in Dartmouth on Aug. 21, 2007, and attacked the lone female employee. He allegedly raped the woman and slashed her throat.
Robicheau had been released from prison just 11 days earlier after serving two-thirds of an eight-year sentence for a previous violent attack on a female cashier at Subway.
Charges include attempted murder, unlawful confinement, sexual assault, robbery and possession of a weapon.
A trial is tentatively set to run on Oct. 8, 22 and Nov. 5.
