Halifax mall shooting plot preliminary inquiry moved to July

The preliminary inquiry for the two people charged in the Halifax Shopping Centre shooting plot has been delayed because lawyers say they need more time to view the volume of evidence.

Lindsay Souvannarath, 23, and Randall Shepherd, 20, face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, conspiracy to use weapons for a dangerous purpose and unlawfully conveying threats through social media.

Souvannarath appeared at today's hearing through video conference.

A preliminary inquiry had been set for June 22. At Friday's hearing, the defence said one month was not enough time to review the large quantity of documents, evidence, and witnesses.

The defence also wants to review the information police used to obtain search warrants. Crown prosecutor Mark Heerema told the judge he can hand over vetted materials to the defence by the end of next week. He says he has to review the information for privileged information and the sealed filed will be returned to the court afterward.

Judge Anne Derrick set July 7 and 8 as the new dates for the inquiry, and has reserved July 23 and 24, if needed.

Between now and then, lawyers must review evidence and ensure that potential witnesses don't have any scheduling conflicts.

"The disclosure, it's safe to say in the hundreds of thousands of pages of material," said Heerema.

"It presents a formidable challenge. Just the sheer volume of material takes time to go through. We're doing our very best to do that."

Heerema says lawyers have received the majority of the disclosure, but investigators are still gathering some information that will be presented to the Crown and defence.

On June 12, the lawyers will meet again for a hearing to discuss their progress.  

Derrick says the only other option for a preliminary inquiry would be mid-August or sometime in the fall.