Former paramedic James Duncan Keats facing trial on sex assault charges

The jury trial for a formerNova Scotia paramedicaccused of sexually assaulting four women while he was on the jobopened today in Halifax.

An extra-large jury pool was summoned for the start of the trial ofJames Duncan Keats, 50. He was fired from his paramedic job after the allegations surfaced.

Prospective jurors are being questioned under a process known as challenge for cause, to see if they've heard anything about this case or Keats himself that might prevent them from being impartial.

The challenge process slows the overall jury selection. By early afternoon, six men had been chosen. Fourteen people will eventually be picked to serve on thejury, which is expected to hear evidence and arguments over the next four weeks.

The challenge process for Keats's trial was also refined to reflect the challenges posed by social media. While the jury pool was held in one courtroom, members were taken one at a time to another courtroom to be questioned by the judge.

Justice Felix Cacchionne imposed a publication ban on the questioning.

During a similar challenge process at another high-profile trial earlier this year, some reporters tweeted what questions were being asked inside the courtroom.

That raised concerns about the jury selection process in the murder trial of Victoria Henneberry and Blake Leggette. Leggette's lawyer even applied unsuccessfully for a mistrial because of the tweeting.

In addition to the publication ban in the Keats case, Cacchionne also told members of the jury pool to refrain from using their smartphones to research the case or follow the proceedings.

During the challenge process in the Leggette and Henneberry trial, some prospective jurors admitted when questioned by the judge that they had used their phones to research the case that day.