Ontario’s Attorney General has granted the prosecution’s request to proceed by a direct indictment in the case of Alek Minassian.

That means a preliminary hearing is being skipped to send the 25-year-old Richmond Hill man’s case straight to trial.

Minassian faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 of attempted murder after allegedly driving a rental van down a Yonge Street sidewalk in North York last April 23.

His lawyer Boris Bytensky says it’s too soon to say if his client will enter a guilty plea.

Pre-trial proceedings are expected to resume next month.

Minassian’s lawyer warns it could still be anywhere from 10 to 18 months before the trial begins, mainly due to the large amount of evidence that needs to be reviewed.