Cook fears for his life if he comes back.
A man convicted last week of unlawful confinement and interference with a dead body in connection with the death of his teenaged stepson told a provincial court magistrate Wednesday that he fears for his own safety if he returns to Prince George to face his court matters.
Lloyd William Cook, 54, made a brief appearance Wednesday in provincial court by video link from jail in Penticton. Stating that he was representing himself, Cook entered a guilty plea to a recent charge of failure to appear.
Crown counsel Lara Vizsolyi said that once transportation issues for Cook are resolved, a court date will be set for next week so Cook can appear before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Glen Parrett in Prince George.
Cook asked if he could appear at his next court date via video link.
“In Prince George, I have a lot of problems,” Cook said. “[There are] lots of threats and stuff... because of the charges. I don’t feel safe being there.”
The magistrate advised Cook that she did not have jurisdiction to make any decision respecting his request to appear by video rather than in person.
On Feb. 8, Parrett found Cook guilty in absentia of two of four counts against him, unlawful confinement and interference with a dead body. He found Cook not guilty of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death.
After hearing lawyer’s submissions on sentencing, Parrett said he would delay sentencing until Cook was brought into custody (or sufficient time had passed).
Cook was taken into custody at his home in Osoyoos on Monday when RCMP executed a bench warrant for his arrest. The warrant was issued on Jan. 31 after Cook failed to show up in B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George for the scheduled verdict in his manslaughter trial.
The charges and judge-alone trial which concluded last month stem from the January 2000 death of Cook’s stepson, 13-year-old Adam Williams-Dudoward, whose remains were found off North Nechako Road in 2004. Cook was arrested and charged with the offences after a lengthy undercover RCMP investigation.
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