A Kelowna man accused of hiring women across Canada as escorts and controlling them through violence has hit a snag on his way to trial.
34-year-old Simon Rypiak told the judge during his appearance on Monday morning that his lawyer had backed out of the trial, which is expected to begin on October 22nd and last three weeks.
He also said that he had spoken to over a dozen other lawyers, but none of them were available for the trial.
The judge told Rypiak that he had two weeks to pick a new lawyer, or else he would have to represent himself during the trial.
The judge also made it clear that the trial date would not be changing either way.
Back in April, Rypiak was given a similar deadline to pick a lawyer, and managed to hire one by the end of the month.
Rypiak was arrested in August of 2016 after a police investigation revealed that he had recruited nine women, ages 15 to 20, through social media to be escorts.
In addition to charges of profiting from sexual services, Rypiak also faces charges of assault and sexual assault.