Steven Neville back in court on beer bottle assault charge

A Paradise man found guilty of murder and attempted murder in February will have to get a new lawyer for his next trial.

Steven Neville was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murdering Doug Flynn and attempting to murder Ryan Dwyer in Oct. 2010.

Neville, 23,is also charged with assaulting a man with a beer bottle in June 2010.One of Neville's lawyers, Peter Ralph, suffered a concussion in June and will be unable to represent him during the assault trial, that was slated to begin Sept. 10.

Lawyer Bob Simmonds represented Ralph in Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Simmonds said Ralph's health created too much uncertainty about handling the case.

"He might be back to work next week. Yet it may be an extended period of time before he's back," Simmonds said.

Ralph is also in the process of completing Neville's appeal for murder and attempted murder.

"It takes some months to get an appeal on of a trial that's gone on for this length of time. We are very hopeful that there will be no delay incurred whatsoever in the appeal process and we'll be able to proceed to it, and Mr. Ralph will be back to work by then," Simmonds said.

In the time being, Neville will be represented by a legal aid lawyer on the assault with a weapon charge.

Neville will be brought to court again Oct. 1 from prison in New Brunswick, where he is currently serving his sentence.

The trial will be re-scheduled.