September 20, 2007 - The preliminary hearing for a Mississauga doctor accused of kidnapping his own daughter has been put on hold.
Dr. Renato Brun Del Re, 54, a family physician, was charged with kidnapping and forcible confinement after his daughter was abducted back on Dec. 21, 2005. If convicted, the maximum sentence is life in prison.
Del Re's daughter is a member of the Dominion Christian Church in Hamilton. The accused alleges the church is a religious cult and that his daughter has been brainwashed.
The hearing, which will determine if there is enough evidence against the doctor to warrant a trial, began last week. Proceedings were brought to a halt when defence lawyer Peter Boushy challenged a ruling made in relation to the case by Ontario Court Justice Bernd Zabel.
Boushy will make his submissions before a Superior Court of Justice tomorrow.
Evidence given during the preliminary hearing is under a publication ban.
Police say Brun Del Re's daughter was snatched while walking along Park St. near the Hamilton church just before Christmas in 2005, and was held 10 days before she was able to escape. Investigators say her family believes she was the victim of a cult.
Pastor Peter Rigo vehemently denies the church is a cult.
Also accused in the case are the woman's mother, Lucie Brun Del Re, 55, a French teacher in Georgetown, her brother Giancarlo Brun Del Re and family friends Alan Honner and Theresa Honner.
