A 16-year-old North Vancouver teen who faces charges of aggravated sexual assault and unlawful confinement in connection with a downtown grad party Feb. 28 has been released on bail.
Provincial court Judge David St. Pierre ordered the teen released following a bail hearing in Robson Square youth court Wednesday.
The teen was arrested Feb. 28 following a violent incident at the Encore Dance Club in downtown Vancouver, which had been rented by North Vancouver teens for an unofficial grad party.
The teen also faces an additional charge of sexual assault of a different girl in North Vancouver in October.
About 50 people – including a number of North Shore teens and their parents – attended the bail hearing.
Many appeared to attend the hearing in support of the boy who has been charged, sitting together on one side of the courtroom.
The judge warned those present that publication bans in place prohibit publishing of any evidence from the bail hearing until after the trial is concluded, plus anything that would identify the accused, alleged victim or underage witnesses in the case. In this case, publishing “includes social media platforms,” said the judge, adding anyone who violates those bans could be found guilty of a criminal offence.
The judge’s warning Wednesday came after school principals sent home a letter about the incident last week, warning teens not to post details about the case on social media.
Vancouver police have also urged teens to call them if they have any additional information about the case instead of telling their Facebook friends.
There was a strong police presence at the bail hearing, with at least five officers in attendance at the back of the court.
The bail hearing got off to an unexpectedly dramatic start Wednesday morning after the prosecutor in charge of the case collapsed suddenly in the courtroom.
The hearing resumed with a different prosecutor in the afternoon. The case is due back in court March 31 to fix a date for trial.
