A Calgary man charged with a double stabbing in Huntington Hills earlier this week made his first appearance in court Thursday morning.
Qisong Zhou appeared in person and was assisted by a Mandarin translator.
Watch below: Global’s past coverage of the case
An agent for the lawyers Zhou is attempting to retain appeared on his behalf Thursday. Court heard he speaks almost no English.
“One of the largest challenges we have right now is Legal Aid no longer has onsite translation services,” Ben Leung said.
Leung said it’s critical for Zhou to have a Mandarin-speaking lawyer.
“He has to understand what he’s been charged with, the gravity and seriousness that he’s dealing with. When we don’t even have an interpreter, he doesn’t have a lawyer that can communicate with him the severity, that’s obviously very concerning.”
Leung also noted it’s important for Zhou to know what his rights are as an accused in Canada.
“Mr. Zhou comes from China,” he said. “Their legal system is very different from ours here so something that we take for granted here isn’t always the norm in other countries.”
“He’s concerned; he’s scared of what obviously is going on.”
The 50-year-old is charged with one count of attempted murder, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and one count of assault with a weapon.
Police were called to the 200 block of Huntcroft Road N.E. on the morning of Aug. 15 after a man and woman were stabbed in their home.
Officers found the man in life-threatening condition and the woman in serious condition. The victims are alleged to be Zhou’s roommates.
READ MORE: Calgary police searching for suspect in ‘traumatic’ northeast stabbing
Police arrested Zhou Aug. 16 after he was seen walking along northbound Deerfoot Trail near Airport Trail.
The case has been put over until Aug. 23. Zhou remains in custody.