Ervin Charleyboy, former chief of Tsi Del Del First Nation, will soon be on trial for historic sex-related offences.
Charleyboy was in court in Williams Lake for a preliminary hearing April 9.
The former chief sat in the courtroom listening to his lawyer question one of two women who have come forward as alleged victims, accusing him of multiple incidents over a number of years.
The 80-year-old Charleyboy placed his black felt Lariat cowboy hat on a gallery bench before entering the well of the courtroom to sit next to his lawyer and face one of his accusers who was shielded in the witness box by a darkened glass.
A lanky man now, he appeared with combed-back grey hair and his metal-framed glasses, dressed neatly in a button-up Navajo-patterned western shirt, a brown bomber jacket and Wrangler bluejeans held up with a leather belt.
He will face a number of charges, with the naming of the charges complicated by changes to the law over the course of the alleged incidents. The incidents are said to have taken place both before and after 1982 when the charge of rape was amended and renamed as sexual assault.
His next court appearance is scheduled for April 22 in Williams Lake.
Charleyboy served as chief of then Alexis Creek First Nation, now known as Tsi Del Del, for 22 years and was the Tsilqot'in National Government tribal chair for 18 years and he was also known as an outspoken supporter of the controversial New Prosperity Mine.
None of the charges have been proven in court.
With files from Monica Lamb-Yorski
