A kidnapping and extortion trial involving career criminal Philip Pynn has gone sideways, bogged down in issues other than the alleged crime.

Pynn, and brothers Joe and Jeff Aylward are accused of kidnapping a man, and holding him for ransom in exchange for cash from his mother.

The accused were arrested late one night in December of 2021 after police pulled over a car on Oliver’s Pond Road in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s.

The three were in the vehicle along with a 27-year-old man who was allegedly abducted an hour earlier, but was not harmed.

The complex case has been wrought with delays from the start, and that continued this week.

The trial was only 45 minutes old when it was discovered all but nine minutes was missing from the court recording.

But the bigger issue is the Crown’s contention that one of the defence lawyers is in a conflict of interest because he once represented someone who will be called as a witness.

That’ll be argued in August and could lead to a mistrial.

Pynn, meanwhile, remains in custody and is due back in court next week, accused of trying to smuggle $30,000 worth of drugs into HMP two months ago.