A Canadian judge has ordered a mid-April preliminary hearing in the case of troubled pop star Justin Bieber, who is accused of assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto.
The April 14 court hearing will deal with mostly administrative matters. A trial date has yet to be set, and could be several months away, Bieber's lawyer said.
The charges are the latest run-in with the law for the teen singer after his arrest in Miami Beach on January 23 for drag racing and impaired driving, and after his Los Angeles mansion was searched because he allegedly hurled eggs at a neighbour's house.
None of his legal troubles, however, have dimmed his popularity with teenage girls who crammed the courtroom in Toronto hoping for a glimpse of the pop star.
They left disappointed as Bieber himself was not present, represented instead by one of Canada's top criminal lawyers, Brian Greenspan.
Toronto police have accused Bieber of hitting a limousine driver "several times" over the back of the head. The car had picked him and five others up from a nightclub in the city in the early hours of December 30.
Evidence cited at the Monday hearing included the complainant's statement to police, and video surveillance.
