Sentencing of a local Mountie convicted of shooting an unarmed Chemainus man in 2009 has been moved out of Cowichan and set back another month.
Const. David Pompeo, of North Cowichan/Duncan's RCMP detachment, is next to appear Aug. 26 and 27 in Colwood provincial court, where he'll face punishment for aggravated assault for shooting Bill Gillespie in September 2009 on a driveway near Chemainus.
The move to Colwood is due to scheduling. The adjournment itself is because this morning the lawyers had not yet provided the judge with all the information he was looking for.
An exasperated Judge Josiah Wood allowed an oral adjournment application from Crown, and Pompeo's lawyer Ravi Hira.
"I wanted to hear your arguments," Wood told Hira.
Instead, the judge received documents about constitutional matters that had been expected July 8.
Raji Mangat, a B.C. Civil Liberties' lawyer, said she is very curious about what's in those documents, adding Wood could have denied the adjournment and proceeded with the scheduled sentencing.
Crown counsel Neil MacKenzie noted there's no specific time limit for sentencing Pompeo, explaining there had been private talks about the case between Crown and the cop's defense counsel.
Crown and defense council Hira wanted additional time to prepare for sentencing, MacKenzie explained.
But Gillespie and Mangat were shocked more time was granted to the case that's dragged on for nearly four years, leading to Pompeo's Feb. 14 conviction.
"We think there's been ample time to prepare," Mangat said. "We're calling on the RCMP to start an internal investigation about Const. Pompeo."
Pompeo and Hira declined to talk to the press. But Gillespie told reporters he was disgusted by another adjournment.
"We thought it would be case closed today," Gillespie said of what he called his "nightmare" continuing for at least another month. "It's time the public started asking what's going on here.
"There's no closure here for me. They're just trying to wear me down. I don't think Pompeo will get any (jail) time; they gave the police preferential treatment."
Pompeo has testified he believed Gillespie was reaching for a weapon inside his clothing when he pulled the trigger, leaving a 9-mm slug sitting near Gillespie's spine
He called Pompeo "trigger-happy", noting the painful impact of the bullet inside him.
"It grinds; it's a huge bullet. Four of my discs and four vertebrae are pulverized. Anytime (the slug) clicks, (pain) shoots down my fingertips and into my toes."
Meanwhile, it was believed Pompeo continues working on restricted, non-operational duties with the Nanaimo RCMP.
He was previously not interacting with the public, and didn't have access to weapons, the RCMP have said.
It was also unclear at press time Tuesday who's paying Pompeo's legal bills — MacKenzie said he was unaware of who's paying; Hira and Pompeo declined to say if those growing tabs are being paid by taxpayers.