NEWS FILE PHOTO The Medicine Hat Courthouse is seen in this file photo.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
A woman is headed to trial accused in an October 2018 incident where another female was tied up, beaten, extorted and robbed.
Amanda Kaye didn’t appear herself in provincial court Thursday, but defence counsel Scott Hadford entered not-guilty pleas on her behalf and elected for a Court of Queen’s Bench trial with judge alone.
Hadford also opted for a preliminary hearing to establish if there’s sufficient evidence before the trial proceeds.
That hearing will take place Oct. 24 – a year to the day after her arrest – and is scheduled to take 720 minutes, with no defence witnesses.
Kaye faces charges of robbery, unlawful confinement, extortion and assault with a weapon, as well as breaches connected with past convictions.
She was arrested along with co-accused Theresa and Matthew Babitzke – a mother and son – on Oct. 24, 2018, after they held their victim captive in a house in the city’s southeast, tying her to a chair and allegedly beating her while robbing and extorting her.
Theresa has pled guilty to unlawful confinement and possessing methamphetamine for the purposes of trafficking in relation to this incident, while Matthew pled guilty to unlawful confinement.
Matthew was sentenced to six months custody. With credit for time served, he’ll spend 87 intermittent days in jail on weekends.
Court heard at his April 9 sentencing that Matthew arrived relatively late in the incident. After the victim managed to dial 911 and immediately hang up, Matthew called the police to tell them it was a mis-dial.
He then untied the victim, setting her free.
When law enforcement arrived, they found the victim barefoot with a bruised right eye and bloody nose.
At the time of the trio’s arrest, police said they suspected the incident was drug-related.
Counsel for Theresa is awaiting a pre-sentencing report.
Her next appearance is slated for May 30.
