A retired Chatham-Kent violin teacher recently convicted of dozens of sexual assault and indecent assault charges will be taking his case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The appeal is the last chance for 73-year-old Claude Eric Trachy, who was initially acquitted of the charges in April, to have the convictions dismissed -- or to get a new trial.
Trachy was originally found not guilty in a Chatham court in April 2019 but that decision was overturned by the Ontario Court of Appeal after the Crown challenged the decision at a hearing in May, asking the court to convict Trachy on the charges or order a new trial for the case.
Windsor-based defence lawyer Ken Marley, who represented Trachy during the initial trial, confirmed with Blackburn News Friday morning that he is following the case closely and said it was "very unusual" for the Ontario Court of Appeal to not only overturn the acquittals but to also enter several convictions in their place.
The provincial appeals court convicted Trachy on more than two dozen charges in the case but upheld his acquittals on all charges of sexual exploitation and sexual interference.
Marley, who is not representing Trachy at the next stage of the case, said he does not have a specific timeframe for the next steps, but he hopes to continue receiving updates from Trachy's current legal team, which is based out of the Toronto-area.
Because the case is heading to the Supreme Court, Trachy's sentencing hearing that was scheduled for September has been cancelled.