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Kamloops man will go straight to trial on child sex charges, judge told

Sex charges straight to trial

A Kamloops man facing charges alleging he sexually assaulted a teenager and talked her into making child pornography will be heading straight to trial, a judge has been told.

Guy David Purcell, 39, is facing charges of invitation to sexual touching, sexual interference of a person under 16, sexual assault, making sexually explicit material available to a person under 16, breach of bail, possession of child pornography and counselling another person to make child pornography.

The allegations date back to a two-day period in August of 2022. The offences are alleged to have taken place in Kamloops and the complainant, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, is a teenaged girl.

During a brief hearing Thursday in Kamloops provincial court, a judge was told prosecutors are expected to soon receive a direct indictment in Purcell’s case, which would send him straight to trial in B.C. Supreme Court.

Direct indictment is a special legal power available to prosecutors that requires high-level government approval. It is typically only used in complex cases.

Last summer, when Purcell was first charged, police issued a plea for tips about other offences, going so far as to ask parents to show his picture to their children.

Purcell is expected to make his first appearance in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday.



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