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Richard Henry Bain reaches deal over legal fees

Richard Henry Bain trial could face further delays

Richard Henry Bain, the man accused of first-degree murder in the deadly election night shooting at a Parti Québécois victory party in Montreal in 2012, has reached an agreement over how he will pay his lawyer.

Under the deal, Bain will pay his lawyer Alan Guttman $40,000 following the sale of some of his property.

He will also pay Guttman $1,000 a month and the government will pay the rest for now.

Bain's monthly income is close to $3,200 thanks to two pensions, but he told the court he has debt and needs to pay back his brother $1,000 per month for the next 27 months.

After 27 months, if Bain still owes Guttman money, he will up his fee to $2,000 a month.

Quebec Court Justice Guy Cournoyer said if the government asks for too much money, there's a risk Bain won't be able to pay his lawyer, dragging on the trial even longer and costing the tax payers even more money.

The trial has been set for Sept. 8, 2015 and is expected to last between six and eight weeks.

The proceedings have been delayed several times due to translation problems, setbacks in obtaining a psychiatric report and difficulty finding Bain a lawyer.

Cournoyer has said he wants to avoid further delays.

He is committed to another five-month trial beginning in November, and he doesn't want to see Bain's trial pushed to 2016.