A Chilliwack man who pleaded guilty to child sex abuse and possession of child pornography delayed his own sentencing scheduled for Friday and will have to find a new lawyer.
Corey Neyrinck – a one-time Chilliwack school board candidate and district parents’ advisory council (DPAC) vice-president – was in BC Supreme Court in Chilliwack Friday morning for a sentencing hearing on one count of sexually touching a person under 16, one count of sexually touching a person under 14, and one count each of producing and possessing child pornography.
Neyrinck’s lawyer David Ferguson, however, addressed the court to say he had to withdraw as counsel.
Justice Neill Brown asked if Ferguson had a reason that should be recorded on the record, but the lawyer said no. Some in attendance suspect the reason is that despite guilty pleas, Neyrinck does not want some of the facts read in open court.
After the May 5 court appearance, the mother of one victim said she was annoyed at Neyrinck trying to manipulate the system.
“He’s not stupid,” she told The Progress. “He thinks the longer it’s delayed, the less time he will have to spend in actual prison.
“He’s a coward.”
In all but the most extreme cases, offenders are granted 1.5-to-one credit for time served in pre-trial custody.
Back in November 2016 when he pleaded guilty to the four charges, the mother, who can’t be named, said that after three years of ongoing court dates and postponed trials as the accused switched lawyers, she was relieved it was over.
“I’m so relieved that he’s finally decided to tell the truth and admit his guilt,” she said. “It has taken a toll on both me and [the victim]. No parent wants to see their child dread the day they have to re-open wounds that have taken years to heal.”
Few details of the case have been presented publicly yet, but as the charges were read aloud, it became clear Neyrinck was sexually engaged with two different victims over a six-year period from March 2008 to February 2014.
A number of police officers and people related to the victims, including the mother of S.K., attended the hearing in November, which was scheduled to be the start of a 10-day trial. Most were back in court again on Friday.
Neyrinck was dressed in the standard prison-issue orange sweatshirt and pants, brought in to Chilliwack from Surrey Pre-Trial Centre. The 29-year-old had been granted bail on a $20,000 surety a year ago but he was unable to perfect it.
Given the time this case has taken in light of the recent Jordan decision by the Supreme Court of Canada about unreasonable delays, the question was addressed in court on May 5. The 2016 Jordan decision addressed Section 11(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which says “any person charged with an offence has the right to be tried within a reasonable time.”
The high court decided on presumptive ceilings for how long cases can last: 18 months for provincial court cases and 30 months for superior court.
Given the delays are of his own making, Crown counsel Paul Blessin addressed the issue with Justice Brown, who confirmed that Neyrinck can make no 11(b) argument.
“There will not be any delay attributed to the state,” Brown said.
Neyrinck is scheduled to appear via video on May 23 to confirm a new sentencing date, which is tentatively scheduled for July.
There is no plea to them, but Neyrinck also faced a number of breaches in connection with the charges. In one count, he allegedly attempted to contact the mother of one of his victims 13 times from the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre. In another, he was alleged to have made up a fake polygraph company that vouched for his innocence.
And in a third, when police checked on the door of the RV he was living in in April 2014, they found a web-capable PlayStation 3, an unplugged wireless router, and an insecure wifi signal throughout the RV park. As part of his bail he was not allowed to have access to the Internet.
Incidentally, the RV was his father-in-law’s, and during the search police found evidence that led to charges of possession of child pornography against him as well. Those charges ended in a stay of proceedings on Dec. 3, 2015.