The Kelowna man charged in a 2014 daylight robber of a Bank of Montreal is still awaiting trial because he's been unable to secure legal counsel, he told the court.
Tayler Verhaegen's trial was scheduled to start in January, but during a scheduled court appearance via a video feed Monday, he said he'd yet to secure a lawyer and didn't anticipate being able to do so until Feb. 6.
That didn't sit well with a judge who said Verhaegan had one in a week to complete the task, or a trial would be scheduled with or without a lawyer being retained.
"I'm in confinement now," Verhaegen told the court. "Most of my time is spent locked up and I don't have time to call people."
Verhaegen also claimed he had a lawyer who removed himself from the case claiming to be "unqualified" and that an attempt to get another was thwarted when legal aid said he didn't qualify.
That decision has since been reversed, Verhaegen said, and dealing with it is what will cause him more time securing a lawyer.
Verhaegen is currently serving a nine months sentence for another case.