A new special prosecutor has been assigned to the Luke Strimbold case.
Richard Peck, a senior Vancouver lawyer in private practice, will take over the job, the B.C. Prosecution Service said today. He will replace Leonard Doust, who has withdrawn for personal reasons, BCPS said.
Doust, also from Vancouver, took over the case in March because Strimbold was a former mayor and had connections to the B.C. Liberal Party.
Strimbold faces 29 sex-related charges involving six people all under the age of 16 at the time of the alleged incidents. None of the allegations has been proven against Strimbold.
The BCPS said the matter has been adjourned to allow Peck to complete an independent assessment of the current charges.
"We cannot speculate on the time it will take to complete the independent assessment or whether the process will be delayed any further," BCPS communications counsel Daniel McLaughlin said.
Strimbold remains scheduled to appear in Smithers Supreme Court on Dec. 21 to fix a date for trial.
