Halifax lawyer convicted of sexual assault to be sentenced July 30

Halifax lawyer Lyle Howe speaks to reporters outside the courtroom on May 27, 2014. (CTV Atlantic)

A Halifax defence lawyer found guilty in May of sexual assault will learn his fate later this month.

Lyle Howe, a lawyer with a high public profile in the city, was found guilty in May by a jury in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman on March 20, 2011.

At the trial, Howe testified he had consensual sex with the woman, who cannot be identified under a publication ban. The Crown argued the victim was impaired and never gave her consent.

The jury found Howe not guilty of administering a stupefying substance.

Howe will be sentenced on July 30.

His new lawyer tried to negotiate a different sentencing date but it would have caused a longer delay in the case.

In a rare move, the defence also made a unique request that Justice Joe Kennedy clarify the facts that will be used when passing sentence.

“We have a new lawyer involved after the verdict it reached on a fairly complex trial and that took some amount of time and it’s a fair question to ask, what will be the foundation of the facts for the sentencing hearing,” says Crown attorney Darcy MacPherson.

“His Lordship clarified for us today and gave us some guidance and assistance so we can put together the appropriate sentencing submissions,” says defence lawyer Phil Star.

The maximum sentence for sexual assault is 10 years, while the minimum is two years.

Howe’s lawyer says he will be launching an appeal.

The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society has suspended Howe's licence to practice and appointed a lawyer to oversee the transfer of Howe's clients to other defence lawyers.

With files from The Canadian Press