Mountie killer's prison assault case delayed

A lawyer representing the man who killed three Mounties in Moncton almost a decade ago has requested that the court delay dealing with new charges against him, related to an alleged prison assault, until early next year.

Justin Christen Bourque, 34, Bourque appeared in Miramichi provincial court Thursday afternoon by video.

He faces charges alleging he had a weapon on May 3, 2022, and that he committed aggravated assault by wounding inmate Chase Spence.

The second charge alleges the weapon was a shank, a homemade weapon.Bourque is co-accused with another man.

The alleged incident happened in the Atlantic Institution, a maximum security prison in Renous,about 30 kilometres southwest of Miramichi.

Adjournment requested forFeb. 8

Defence lawyer Simon Wood told Judge Johanne-Marguerite Landry that he has been retained on a legal aid certificate torepresent Bourque.

Wood requested the case be adjourned until Feb. 8, which is when Bourque's co-accused is also set to return to court.

The co-accused man, who's case was dealt with before Bourque on Thursday,faces a separate charge of second-degree murder and underwent a psychiatric evaluation in that case.

Gilles Lemieux, the defence lawyer representing the man on the murder charge, asked for his case to be adjourned until February to deal with issues resulting from the evaluation.

Bourque made his first appearance in the assault case last month. It was adjourned so he could apply for legal aid representation.

Bourque said little during the brief appearance Thursday other than to say he didn't have any questions.

New Brunswick RCMP said in a statement last month that officers from the Blackville detachment were called around 2 p.m. on May 3, 2022,for a report of an assault at the prison.

Police say a 28-year-old inmate was injured. The inmate was taken to hospital with what were believed to be non-life threatening injuries.

Bourque and the co-accused, a 31-year-old man from Halifax, were charged on Sept. 11 of this year.

Bourqueis serving life sentences for fatally shootingRCMP constables Dave Ross, Fabrice Gevaudan and Douglas Larche and woundingconstables Darlene Goguen and Eric Duboisin Moncton on June 4, 2014.