No chances were being taken as Jermaine Carvery made an appearance Monday afternoon in Halifax Provincial Court.
Carvery infamously managed to break out of his leg shackles and escape from guards last April during a transfer from prison to the Victoria General Hospital for day surgery.
He was eventually caught two months later in Niagara Falls, Ont., and sent back to Halifax last week. Yesterday, there was extra security on hand for a court appearance.
There were two extra sheriffs escorting Carvery to the courthouse. An extra transport vehicle trailed behind in case of a pursuit. There were also several undercover police officers placed throughout the building.
Carvery also had to keep his leg shackles on throughout the court proceedings because, in the words of one sheriff at court, he can “run like a gazelle.”
Those shackles happen to be the new model that was brought in provincewide specifically because of Carvery. The Department of Justice switched over to more secure irons after the fallout from Carvery’s escape.
Carvery’s case wound up being put over until Tuesday for election and show cause. He isn‚t expected to go to trial in Halifax for some time.
“He has outstanding matters in Ontario that he has to deal with in October. So I anticipate the dates we get in Halifax will be sometime after the dates he has to go to court in Ontario,” said crown attorney Shauna MacDonald.
Carvery faces 23 charges in total. Aside from escaping custody, the charges include robbery, attempted murder and hostage taking. They stem from a string of robberies in 2004, including one at a Halifax Costco where 42 employees were confined while the thieves made off with a large quantity of cigarettes.
He also faces charges in Ontario for a masked robbery of a downtown boutique.
