Traffic fines reduced in Elrose court
By Your Southwest Media Group
Three traffic matters were resolved with reduced fines during provincial court at the Elks Hall last Thursday.
A criminal trial scheduled for that day was cancelled after the Crown stayed a fraud charge against the accused during an earlier court appearance in Saskatoon, a prosecutor said.
During a June 11 court appearance by phone, the accused told the judge that staff at the jail where he had been held were unable to open a USB drive containing the evidence against him.
In another matter, the mother of a man contesting a traffic ticket had a friend appear in court to request an adjournment because the accused was in hospital in Saskatoon. A prosecutor opposed the request, arguing it had been made indirectly rather than by the accused or counsel.
Judge Jane Wootten granted the adjournment, rescheduling the trial to July 23 in the hope the accused would be out of hospital by then.
In the traffic matters:
Kamaldeep Thapar, 46, of Calgary was fined $350 instead of the original $720 after pleading guilty to a reduced charge. Police had charged him with failing to slow to 60 km/h while passing a police vehicle with its emergency lights activated on April 25 near Tessier. The prosecutor said Thapar was travelling in the opposite direction and pulled over while the officer was walking between vehicles, but was travelling 102 km/h. Thapar believed he was complying with the law but pleaded guilty to travelling 90 km/h.
Saad Mostafiz, 22, of Saskatoon was fined $300 instead of the original voluntary payment amount of $720 after the prosecutor agreed to reduce the charge. His official speed was reduced to 135 km/h from the original allegation of travelling at least 35 km/h over the speed limit. Police radar recorded his vehicle travelling 143 km/h near Zealandia on April 21.
Cohen D. Wright, 19, of Calgary negotiated a reduced fine of $170 instead of $198 after pleading guilty to driving 124 km/h in a passing lane near Harris on April 4.*