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Linda Buchanan, talent agent, changes mind on guilty pleas

The long and complicated legal saga of Linda Buchanan has hit another snag.

The former head of a Halifax modelling agency pleaded guilty to one count of fraud, four counts of theft and one count of breach of probation back in January, on the day she was due to go on trial.

She was supposed to be sentenced on Thursday, but now says she wants to withdraw her guilty pleas.

The guilty pleas were the result of a last-minute deal hammered out between the Crown and Buchanan’s lawyer at the time, Lyle Howe. The plea bargain included an agreed statement of facts that Howe helped write.

Howe’s licence to practise law has since been suspended, following his conviction on a sexual assault charge.

But he could be called to testify at a future hearing to determine whether Buchanan's guilty plea can be withdrawn. Howe's wife, Laura McCarthy, has been representing Buchanan, but withdrew from the case Thursday because her husband may have to take the stand.

The Crown is opposed to Buchanan’s bid to withdraw her guilty pleas.

“On the day of the trial, a guilty plea was entered, there was an agreed statement of facts signed and now there's a process to go through if she wants to change her plea, in which case we anticipate there'd be testimony,” said Crown prosecutor Tanya Carter.

“So based on what happened on the last day it's appropriate to oppose this application.”

Buchanan is meeting with Nova Scotia Legal Aid next month to try to get a new lawyer. She’s to return to court on Nov. 25.

Judge Anne Derrick told Buchanan that if she hasn’t started the formal process to withdraw her guilty pleas, she will be sentenced. Otherwise, the court appearance will be used to set a date for a future hearing on Buchanan’s bid to change her pleas.

Fraud allegations

The last complaints against Buchanan happened in the summer of 2012, when she claimed to be organizing a series of fashion trade shows across the country.

According to her website, Buchanan planned shows in Saanich and Prince George in British Columbia, Winnipeg and Whitehorse. One was promised for Moncton, but was never scheduled.

CBC News contacted the operators of the venues in each of these communities where the festival was scheduled. They said the events never happened because Buchanan didn't pay her deposit in time.

Court was told in January that the fees Buchanan collected for these trade shows were used to pay her own living expenses.

In April 2010, Buchanan was convicted of defrauding a Lunenburg bank, admitting to bouncing a cheque for $17,000 three years before.

The breach of probation charge she pleaded guilty to stems from this conviction.