Bruce Escott pleads guilty to sexual interference

One of two men charged with an array of sexual offences against young people has pleaded guilty to a count of sexual interference.

Bruce Escott, 81, appeared at provincial court in St. John's on Tuesday morning, where the plea was entered.

The victim was under the age of 16. The charge covers a one-year timeframe between June 2020 and June 2021.

In total, Escott is facing more than a dozen charges, spanning decades. One sexual assault accusation dates as far back as 1995.

At this point, no pleas have been entered on the remainder of those charges.

But Crown lawyer Deidre Badcock indicated both sides had reached a plea deal that would see "a number of matters" dealt with when Escott is sentenced on Nov. 22.

"That's why we're scheduling a full day," Badcock told the court.

Escott is being held in custody at the correctional centre in Bishop's Falls.

A pre-sentence report is scheduled to be completed by late September.

Trial of co-accused to be rescheduled

Escott's co-accused, Tony Humby, has pleaded not guilty to more than 30 charges, including sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation.

His trial was originally scheduled to begin this month, but was postponed after a change in defence counsel.

Humby's new lawyer, Mark Gruchy, said his client intends to go forward with a trial at provincial court.

The trial was initially scheduled for seven weeks.

Work will now proceed to figure out new potential trial dates.

Humby, 63, will return to court on July 25 for a status update.

Escott and Humby were neighbours in a trailer court near the airport in St. John's. They were arrested and charged more than a year ago.

In total, there are a dozen alleged victims.

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