Assault charge against former PC organizer Alan Hallman stayed

The assault charge against aformer organizer withJason Kenney's Progressive Conservative leadership campaign has been stayed, according to his lawyer.

Alan Hallmanwas arrested in March after a scuffle outside the Alberta PC party's leadership convention in downtown Calgary.

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Hallmanpleaded not guilty to assaultand waspreparingfora two-day trial in August but his lawyer,DaleFedorchuk, said Thursday the Crown has decided to stay the charge.

"He did not have to do anything to get a stay of proceedings, so this was not a case of performing alternative measures,"Fedorchuksaid in a text message.

A stay of charges means the proceedings against an accused are suspended and the Crown has one year to resume the case or it is dropped.

Fedorchuksaid his client had been prepared to go to trial in August.

"We had a number of witnesses lined up who were prepared to come to court on Alan's behalf," he said.

"We maintained throughout these proceedings that [Alan]was acting in self-defence and in response to being shoved repeatedly as he was exiting [the building]."

Hallmanleft Kenney's campaignin January after he wassuspended from the partyfor inappropriate social media posts.

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