Nova Scotia’s Justice Minister says there was never any risk to public safety despite a security breach at Bridgewater Court yesterday.

John Leonard MacKean, 63, walked into Bridgewater Provincial court yesterday through the front door, without handcuffs, and a few steps behind the RCMP officer escorting him.

“We have a very high standard of operation within our facilities,” Ross Landry told reporters. “I understand the person in question was brought in from another province into the area and there was some communication issues on the actual process and procedures we use in our court facilities.”

MacKean was arrested by the South West Nova Major Crime Unit in Fredericton Monday evening and was transferred by New Brunswick RCMP to Nova Scotia Tuesday morning for his court appearance in Bridgewater.

“This was a low risk by the officers at the time, given the fact that they’d been dealing with the individual,” said Landry. “But that does not mitigate the fact that we have certain policies and procedures in place and we expect them to be followed.”

Nova Scotia RCMP are promising to look into why a man charged in a high-profile sexual assault and forcible confinement case was allowed to walk into court yesterday without handcuffs.

The unusual scene was a breach of protocol between Sheriff Services and police, and the sheriff for Lunenburg and Queens counties, Stephen Brown, wasn’t too happy.

Brown said normally they would get a call from RCMP.

“Within a few minutes of arriving they would contact us again to advise a better time frame and would then go around to the rear of the building where our cells are, and we’d then let them in…and follow the proper procedures we would with any person in custody,” said Brown.

Instead the accused walked into the building, went to washroom and then walked into the courtroom with his escort.

Once sheriffs realized what had happened, MacKean was taken to the cells.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Alain Leblanc tells News 95.7, they’ll work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“What we certainly want to do is meet with them or call them, reach out to them and have this discussion – okay, what did we not do right,” said LeBlanc.

MacKean, who is from Lower Sackville, has been charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy who was allegedly forcibly confined in a home in Upper Chelsea, N.S., in September. He’s also charged with communicating with one of the co-accused in the case, Wayne Alan Cunningham, to buy sexual services from the boy.

Cunningham died during a nationwide manhunt following the teen’s alleged escape.