Kenneth Allan Docherty has elected to have charges of theft, fraud and uttering a forged document heard in Superior Court rather than in Ontario Court, as he had previously elected.

The trial would have been held before Ontario Court Justice Douglas Maund last week, but lawyer Setu Purohit of Carrie Bellan’s office moved to have them heard along with a further charge of extortion in the higher court.

Before allowing the reelection, Justice Maund asked Mr. Purohit to guarantee that a judge would be available to hear the charges on an agreed date.

All charges are now to be heard by Superior Court Justice Bonnie Wein next Monday, the date previously set to decide when to set a date for Mr. Docherty’s sentencing for his conviction of manslaughter in the death of Tyson Weber of Kleinburg almost two years ago.

He had been charged with second-degree murder in Mr. Weber’s stabbing death in May 2008, but a jury of eight women and four men recently found him guilty of the lesser charge.

Although the jury became aware of unusual financial dealings in the weeks prior to Mr. Weber’s death, it was not apprised of the related charges facing Mr. Docherty.

In other court matters, a trial date has yet to be set for Robert Francis Richards, who has remained in custody following a brutal assault on Lenore Wirtz at Creek Side Clothing Co. in Orangeville last July.

In addition to the Orangeville charges, Mr. Richards faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, choking, forcible confinement and robbery at a flower shop in Toronto in May 2009.