Tony Humby, 64, sits in a provincial courtroom in St. John’s March 19. 2025. – Tara Bradbury/The TelegramArticle contentThe lawyer for Tony Humby, a St. John’s man facing a long list of sexual violence offences against youth, has told the court he plans to file an application to have most of the charges tossed out due to an unreasonable delay in getting to trial. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentHumby, 64, has pleaded not guilty to 72 charges involving about a dozen complainants. He was first arrested in April 2023 alongside his co-accused, Bruce Escott. Article contentArticle contentArticle contentRoyal Newfoundland Constabulary investigators say Humby and Escott, 82, worked together for years to lure, groom, sexually abuse and exploit vulnerable teenage males. Article contentIn March, Escott pleaded guilty to seven offences and received a 13-year jail sentence. Article contentHumby’s trial had originally been scheduled for 2024, but was postponed when he decided to change lawyers. It was rescheduled for March of this year. Article contentThe trial was delayed at the last-minute request of Humby’s new lawyer, Mark Gruchy, after the inadvertent disclosure to the defence of a police document in the file that wasn’t meant to be there. Article contentThat issue – which prosecutor Deidre Badcock once told the court had the potential to “blow things up” – sparked a series of pre-trial applications by the defence for further records. Article contentThose application proceedings have been ongoing since then, much of it behind closed doors. Article contentArticle contentTrial set to begin next monthArticle contentHumby’s trial is now set to start Aug. 27 and continue intermittently for eight weeks, with a five-month gap in between, ending in May 2026. The dates are the only ones Gruchy, a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission’s small Special Defence Unit, can accommodate in his schedule. Article contentThe Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 Jordan ruling established deadlines for criminal trials: 18 months for provincial court matters and 30 months for those in superior courts. Once those timelines are exceeded, an accused can apply to have their charges dismissed if they can prove the delay was unreasonable and not their fault. Article contentAny amount of delay attributed to them is subtracted from the timeline. Article contentThat’s the type of application Gruchy intends to file on Humby’s behalf, and he told the court Tuesday it will be done by the end of the week.
Accused NL sexual predator asking court to toss 72 charges for unreasonable delay
