A judicial pre-trial date has been set for the Brampton man accused of abducting a nine-year-old Thessalon boy last summer.
Manoj Govindbalunikam, a 36-year-old from Brampton, was arrested in August by Sault Ste. Marie OPP after allegedly approaching a boy who was fishing in Thessalon, offering him a toy and taking him for ice cream in his yellow Camaro. He is facing one count of abduction of a person under 14 (take or entice).
Govindbalunikam has not been convicted of the charge and is considered innocent until proven guilty.
On Wednesday, a judicial pre-trial (JPT) date of Sept. 18 was set in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom, with the matter returning to court on Sept. 25. Typically, a JPT is held behind closed doors with a justice, defence and Crown in attendance to chart the path forward toward a possible trial.
Govindbalunikam did not appear before Justice Micharel Varpio on Wednesday in person or by video, and was not required to at this stage of the legal proceedings, but was represented in court by his defence lawyer Jessica Belisle.
In an appearance last month, Govindbalunikam's defence elected for him to face a trial by judge alone in Superior Court, not a trial by jury.
Govindbalunikam is currently on bail, with conditions that he be under a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and be prohibited from attending public parks or swimming areas. He must also remain away from the municipality of Thessalon except to drive through to attend trial and cannot be in communication with the victim and his family.
He was also ordered to surrender his passport to Peel Regional Police and was required to pledge $10,000 toward bail, with an additional $5,000 by his surety. Govindbalunikam is banned from having prohibited weapons and cannot be in a position of trust with a person under 16 years of age.
An officer with East Algoma OPP detachment told SooToday after the Aug. 16 arrest that the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction were "bizarre," but that the boy was ultimately found unharmed.