Trial postponed as main witness recovers from surgery

The District Court trial of a Pilbara man has been indefinitely postponed because of a last-minute issue with the main witness.

Aquinas Gilba is charged with sexual penetration without consent and was scheduled to stand trial before a judge and jury in the District Court in Karratha early last week.

However, the court was told the main witness was unable to give evidence after undergoing surgery at a metropolitan hospital and had no set recovery time.

District Court Justice Julie Anne Wager said she had considered a short delay, but ultimately decided to not proceed with the trial, a rare occurrence in the court.

Justice Wager thanked the jury for their time and apologised for the inconvenience before dismissing them.

District Court trials are few and far between in Karratha, as the court only comes up to the area about once every two months.

Court staff will next visit in late June.