Court bench warrant issued for arrest of embattled former mayor of Woodstock

Trevor Birtch, the former mayor of Woodstock, failed to show up to his court hearing Thursday, prompting the judge to issue a bench warrant.

A bench warrant for the arrest of former Woodstock Mayor Trevor Birtch was issued Thursday after he failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance in London.

The 50-year-old Birtch was ordered to appear to set a new trial date for a sexual assault case after a mistrial was declared earlier. He was expected to appear with a new lawyer as well after his previous lawyer James Battin was disbarred.

After all of the cases in courtroom two at the London Courthouse were dealt with and Birtch was a no-show, Justice Craig Sigurdson issued the bench warrant for his arrest early in the afternoon.

Birtch’s legal woes began in 2022, and he’s already been convicted of sexual assault and assault involving a woman he was romantically involved with, as well as a conviction to impaired driving.

The case he was expected to appear for involves another woman he had a relationship with.

The charges and convictions date back to 2017 up to 2023.

When he held office, Birtch was a two-term mayor for the city of Woodstock from 2015 until 2022.