Kidnapping suspect to remain in custody until February

A Newfoundland man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman this summer will remain in custody until a court appearance next February.

Darren Joseph Fagan, 36, a native of Riverhead,St. Mary'sBay, has been in custody since he was arrested in August.

A woman complained to police that she was abducted in her vehicle while she was parked at a gas station in Kilbride, a neighbourhood in southern St. John's.

Police said a man entered her vehicle and instructed her to drive away. The man held the woman in the car overnight and sexually assaulted her twice. The woman was able to escape from the car the next morning.

On Tuesday, the provincial court in St. John's set Fagan's case over until February, when a preliminary inquiry will be held.

The inquiry will determine whether there is enough evidence to send Fagan to trial on one charge of kidnapping, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon and two counts of sexual assault with a weapon.

Fagan underwent a psychiatric assessment following his arrest Aug. 25.