(File photo/CKOM News)

By CKOM News

CHANGING PLEAS

Man facing 12 sexual assault charges applies to change guilty plea

Jan 12, 2023 | 5:30 PM

A Saskatoon man claiming to be a traditional healer pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting 12 women between 2013 and 2021 but now wants to change that plea.

Last April, police said there were a number of victims from the communities of Loon Lake, Blaine Lake, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatoon and surrounding areas. Police said they believed 61-year-old Cecil Wolfe was working under the “pretext of being a traditional healer or medicine man when (the alleged victims) encountered him.”

During a telephone appearance Thursday, defence lawyer Harvey Neufeld informed the court that Wolfe, his client, wanted to make an application to change his plea.

Sentencing was already underway for Wolfe in late 2022 when he dismissed his former lawyer, Loretta Pete-Lambert, and asked Neufeld to represent him instead.

According to Crown prosecutor Lana Morelli, Neufeld must prove his client was not properly informed, didn’t understand, or was under duress when he initially pleaded guilty.

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A case management hearing to figure out the process of applying to change Wolfe’s plea was scheduled for late January.

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