'Mom' Boucher court appearance moved to secure courthouse

The upcoming court appearances ofex-Hells Angels chief Maurice "Mom" Boucherhave been moved to a secure courthouse in Montreal.

Boucher had initially been scheduled to appear at acourthouse inLongueuil, Que., south of Montreal.

He is accusedof conspiring tomurderRaynaldDesjardins, a high-ranking Mafia member.

• 'Mom' Boucher, daughter charged with conspiracy to commit murder

But Quebec Court Judge Marco LaBrie on Friday granted a request by Crown prosecutors to have the preliminary hearingsmoved toMontreal's Gouin courthouse, which has an underground tunnel to the nearby Bordeaux prison.

The Gouin courthouse has been the site of several high-profile biker gang trials, and is equipped with metal detectors and a reinforced dock for the accused.

A publication ban was placed on the arguments that the Crown made to the court for having the trial moved.

Friday's decision means Boucher will be moved from the super-maximum-security facilityat theSte-Anne-des-Plaines Institution, where he is serving a life sentence for the 1997 murders of two prison guards.

He will be housed at Bordeaux during the preliminary hearings, which get underway on Monday.