Mon Jul 21, 3:08 PM

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CALGARY (CBC) - A man accused in the kidnapping of two Banff women had his first court appearance on Monday.

Cory Lawrence Bitternose, 38, who is being held at the Calgary Remand Centre, was linked to the court proceeding at the Banff courthouse by video.

Wearing blue coveralls and sporting a goatee, Bitternose answered with a simple "Yes, sir" when the judge asked if he understood that one of the 11 charges against him had been amended from sexual assault to sexual assault causing bodily harm.

The Crown also added a 12th charge on Monday of possession of stolen property over $5,000.

Bitternose is accused of abducting two women on July 13, beating them and trying to run one over with his vehicle. One of the women managed to escape, but the other was sexually assaulted twice, said police.

The suspect has a long criminal history, including convictions for sexual assaults in Regina in 2004 and aggravated assault in Calgary in 1992. At one time, Crown lawyers in Saskatchewan considered applying to have Bitternose declared a dangerous offender, but never pursued it, according to court transcripts obtained by CBC News.

Monday's court appearance lasted less than 10 minutes.

Bitternose is scheduled to be in court again on Aug. 18 for a bail hearing.