A sexual assault trial ground to a halt on Tuesday in Yellowknife after the accused asked for a Tlicho interpreter.
Leon Nasken, 65, is facing a single count of sexual assault.
According to RCMP, he was charged in May of 2018 after a complaint from a woman.
It is not clear where in the city the assault is alleged to have occurred.
A jury was selected on Monday, but as the trial was about to begin Tuesday, Nasken asked for a Tlicho interpreter which is his right.
The judge granted Nasken’s request, the jury was dismissed and a mistrial was declared.
It’s believed that the court was not prepared to make the jurors wait while an interpreter was found by the court.
His lawyer tells CKLB that the need for an interpreter would have come up at a preliminary hearing but that Nasken waived his right to the hearing.
It is not entirely clear when a new trial will be held.
Nasken is assumed innocent until and if he is proven guilty at trial.
