The stepfather of two young children who went missing from rural Nova Scotia nearly one year ago, had his first court appearance Monday, for sexual assault charges involving an adult.
The province’s public prosecution service says Daniel Martell was arraigned on sexual assault, assault and unlawful confinement.
“The Crown elected to proceed by indictment; a publication ban was also ordered. [This] prohibits information from being published, broadcast, or transmitted in any way that could identify the victim,” says the prosecution service in an email.
Martell is scheduled to be back in court on March 30 for an election and/or plea.
The 34-year-old has been in the public eye since Jack and Lilly went missing; he was in a relationship with the children’s mother for three years.
The four-and six-year-old children disappeared from Landsdowne Station, Pictou County, May 2 after allegedly wandering away from home and have not been found since.
Photo: Nova Scotia Government
Multiple searches were triggered since Jack and Lilly disappeared including one in September with cadaver dogs that covered a 40 km radius, but no remains were found.
That investigation is still a missing persons case being investigated by multiple agencies including major crimes.
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