Police block the road where a York Regional Police officer died after being struck be a vehicle on Tuesday, June 28, 2011.Aaron Vincent Elkaim/ The Canadian Press
The 15-year-old boy charged in the death of Constable Garrett Styles could face an adult sentence if the Crown attorney in the case gets his way.
The teen, who is in hospital, "can hear, but he cannot speak," said defence lawyer David Berg.
Mr. Berg addressed a Newmarket, Ont., court Thursday by telephone from the hospital where the accused is currently recovering from the incident that took Constable Styles's life last week.
Crown attorney Peter Westgate requested that the youth's next court appearance - which court heard would also be by telephone - be held on Sept. 15, to which the defence agreed. Mr. Westgate said an adult sentence might be sought if the teen is found guilty of first-degree murder.
Mr. Berg has not been retained for a trial.
The teenager, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with first-degree murder hours after Constable Styles was killed. Media reports have said he may now be a quadriplegic.
Alone on patrol, Constable Styles, 32, stopped the minivan in East Gwillimbury early on June 28. He parked his cruiser directly behind the 2005 Dodge Caravan, walked up to it and discovered four teenagers inside.
The officer ran the van's licence plate, discovered the vehicle did not belong to any of the occupants and reached inside for the keys, a police source said.
At that point the van suddenly lurched forward, snagging Constable Styles and dragging him for about 300 metres. The driver lost control and the van rolled over on top of the officer.
Some 8,000 police officers attended Constable Styles's funeral on Tuesday in Newmarket, Ont.