A 12 member jury has found a Halifax area man guilty of both charges in his Supreme Court trial in Bridgewater.
The verdict was reached after five hours of deliberations.
John Leonard MacKean was facing charges of sexual assault and communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual service from a person under 18.
Crown lawyer Lloyd Tancock says the guilty verdict will mean jail time for the 64 year old.
However, Tancock told reporters it's too early to discuss the prison term the Crown will seek.
MacKean is the third and final person charged in the confinement and sexual assault of a teenage boy in Upper Chelsea in September 2012.
Wayne Cunningham died while on the run from police in Northern Ontario while David Leblanc is serving an 11 year jail term for his role in the crime.
MacKean will be sentenced on June 24th.
A 12 member jury has been sequestered for nearly five hours in the sexual assault case involving a Halifax area man.
Deliberations began this morning after the panel were given final instructions from the judge.
John Leonard MacKean is facing charges of sexual assault and communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a person under the age of 18.
The allegations involve performing sexual acts on a teenage boy that was blindfolded in a cabin in Upper Chelsea
MacKean was arrested in a hotel in Fredericton in November 2012.
The 64 year old is the third and final person accused in the chained teen case.
Wayne Alan Cunningham died on the run from police in Northern Ontario.
David James Leblanc is serving 11 years in jail for his role in the kidnapping and confinement of the teen.
The trial is now in its fifth day.
A big proposed housing and commercial development in Quispamsis has been withdrawn because of the current economic climate.
The proposal would have seen 75 homes built off Pettingill Road along Westminster Drive, from 2 and 3 bedroom bungalows to condos.
The town is going to update its municipal plan to allow for a wider range of housing and not just single family homes. Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News the town needs to properly control growth and not let it control the town.
Besides a wider variety of housing options, the town also wants to create what it calls walkable neighbourhoods.
A culture of lawlessness or at least willful indifference to the law.......Those are the words of Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy about the controversy over the expenses of M-L-A's.
Cardy charges there was a coverup when Campbellton-Restigouche M-L-A Greg Davis fell more than six months behind on the rent payments for his constituency office.
Davis received 40 thousand dollars for his constituency expenses but details of how that money was spent haven't been released yet.
Cardy charges both the Liberals and Conservatives would like the expenses controversy to just go away. He advocates a system where M-L-A's would put their expenses online for all to see with regular updates.
The New Brunswick Anti-Shale Gas Alliance has scheduled a series of public meetings around the province, including one in Sussex, to give people all the information on shale gas instead of what it calls propaganda from the Alward Government.
Jim Emberger of the Alliance tells CHSJ News if you look at the number of jobs created by shale gas in Pennsylvania, the claims being made in New Brunswick about how this will turn the economy around have been wildly overblown. He says in Pennsylvania, 4 jobs were created per well as opposed to the claim in the Deloitte Touche report that 21 jobs will be generated per well.
Emberger also argues Massachusetts has created three times the number of jobs with green energy as compared to what Pennsylvania has generated with shale gas.
American travel writers in New York City getting an earful from a New Brunswick-Maine contingent singing the praises of the Two Nation Vacation.
CHSJ News asked Tourism Minister Trevor Holder if the province is focusing more on promoting trips by land where the cruise ship season in Saint John will be quieter this year.
Holder says they are talking to them about the newly renovated Algonquin Hotel and they were very interested in that.
Holder is in the Big Apple with Maine's Director of Tourism Carolann Ouellette and Nancy Blount of Blount Small Ship Adventures.
The province and port recently announcing that Blount will begin using Saint John for homeporting in 2015.
Students, staff, teachers and more at St. John the Baptist-King Edward school celebrating the official launch of their new kitchen.
It will go a long way to helping the school provide 1000 hot lunches a week.
Principal Christine Roy tells CHSJ News the 40 volunteers that come in to prepare and serve the food are role models for the students.
She says their students see people in the community giving back to them being examples of citizenship and volunteerism and she hopes one day the students will give back too.
Holly Singh of Thandi's and Councillor Gerry Lowe were both singled out for their work on making the kitchen renovation happen.
The lunch program costs $54,000 a year to run and is operated thanks to the contributions of many community partners including Irving Oil.
A chicken product that could be in your fridge is being recalled due to the possible risk of listeria.
The recall impacts Kirkland Signature brand Grilled Chicken Breast Strips sold in this province, Ontario , Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Ontario. It may also have been sold in other provinces.
If you bought this chicken throw it out or return it to the store where you bought it.
For more detail on the recall, click here
There was a take down on Catherwood Street as part of a drug investigation involving City Police, the RCMP and Rothesay Regional Police.
A 31 year old man has been arrested and is facing charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
Searches were also carried out by police in the north end and Quispamsis where they say a large amount of drugs and cash were confiscated.
The Police Department's Major Crime Unit is investigating a serious assault on the west side early this morning around 3:00 that sent a 37 year old man to hospital.
The victim was stabbed on Morris Street during what was believed to be a domestic dispute.
The city letting us know about a road closure...The Hawthorne Avenue Extension from Mount Pleasant to Sandy Point Road from 8:30 this morning to 4:30 this afternoon for water repairs.
An assault on the west side early this morning around 3:00 is being investigated by major crime.
One man has been taken to hospital. City Police tell CHSJ News the altercation took place in the area of Church Avenue and Morris Street. So far, no one has been arrested.
Considerable damage was caused after a fire in a kitchen at a home on Seeley Street. One man was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire did not spread to the rest of the house.
Canada is just two wins away from winning gold at the Ford World Women's Curling Championship after defeating Sweden 9-6 to finish the round robin with a 10 and 1 record.
With the win, Canada will meet Switzerland in the playoffs tonight at 7:30. The winner advances to Sunday night's gold medal game while the loser will play in tomorrow afternoon's semifinal.
There's a tie breaker this afternoon at 2:30 with Sweden taking on South Korea.
The new provincial fire marshal is from Darling's Island and went to Hampton High.
Doug Browne takes over for Norman Thibodeau who retired after a 33 year career including two as the provincial fire marshal.
After high school, Browne joined the Canadian Armed Forces and studied at the Royal Military College where he received a degree in mechanical engineering.
He is currently completing a masters' degree in disaster and emergency management through Royal Roads University in Victoria, B.C.
The sexual assault trial involving a Halifax man is entering it's final stages.
Both sides in the case presented their closing arguments this afternoon in the high profile Supreme Court trial in Bridgewater.
John Leonard MacKean is facing two charges including sexual assault and another relating to prostitution.
MacKean denies the boy was chained up when he visited the cabin on September 20, 2012.
MacKean also testified he would have helped the 16 year old if he knew the boy was being held against his will.
However, the 64 year old admitted to touching the teenagers genitals while he was at the cabin in Upper Chelsea to get a massage.
The Crown has submitted DNA evidence that matches MacKean.
The defence argues the case comes down to credibility of witnesses and whether the victim was telling the truth while under oath due to varying versions of his story.
The jury will begin it's deliberations after it gets instructions from the judge tomorrow morning.
Getting some cash out of the ATM for the weekend? As you count it, make sure you take a close look at those bills--because fakes can be harder to spot than you might think.
Allan Paquet of the Bank of Canada was on hand at the Fraud Prevention expo at Market Square. He tells CHSJ News the new polymer bills are harder to fake, but not impossible.
The time-tested way to check a bill is to hold it up to a light source, like a window--here are images imbedded in the bill that won't be there if it's fake. As well, the new bills have raised ink around the number of the bill's denomination.
As for the above bills--the ten on the bottom is the fake one, although it's only apparent when you hold it up to a light source and compare its texture with the genuine bill, above.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston says he is saddened by Jim Flaherty's departure as Federal Finance Minister. Weston says Flaherty had a real affinity for Saint John but his replacement, Joe Oliver also knows what the local economic needs are.
Weston says Oliver has been to Saint John several times in his previous job as Natural Resources Minister when he spoke in favour of the proposed Energy East pipeline.
The academics with the New Brunswick Energy Institute are credible but Provincial Green Party leader David Coon doesn't think the institute itself has any credibility in the eyes of the public. This, as the Institute launches a study into the impact of shale gas exploration on groundwater so whether its findings will carry any weight with New Brunswickers or change any minds remains to be seen.
The Energy Institute is a creation of the Alward Government and its reputation took a hit with the well publicised resignation of Professor Louis LaPierre over his academic qualifications.
A preliminary report from the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. on the effect of shale gas exploration on groundwater is expected later this year.
After Draw 15 at the Ford World Women's Curling Championships, Canada is alone at 8 and 1 in the standings.
Korea beat the US 8-6, Russia downed Switzerland 8-5, Germany beat Latvia 6-4 and Sweden soundedly defeating China 10 to 5.
Russia, Switzerland and Sweden are all 8 and 2, Korea is 7 and 3 while China sits at 6 and 4.
Today, Scotland takes on the US while Canada plays China and tonight the Homan rink takes on Sweden.
A 64 year old Halifax man charged with sexual assault is testifying today during his Supreme Court trial in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.
John Leonard MacKean says he would have helped the teenage boy who was chained up and blindfolded if he had known he was being held against his will.
MacKean is accused of paying to perform sexual acts on the boy while he was chained up and blindfolded.
However, the 64 year old denies those charges and says he was duped into going to the cabin by Wayne Cunningham.
Cunningham was one of the main figures in the kidnapping and confinement of the 16 year old in Upper Chelsea.
MacKean also stated he never discussed paying to perform sexual acts on the boy.
The crown will have an opportunity to question MacKean later today.
A 12 member jury is expected to begin its deliberations later today or tomorrow.
