Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Friday, May 04, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A 20-year-old man, who appeared in court Tuesday for failing to comply with the terms of a previous sentence, will have to pay a $500 fine.

But his offense will ultimately cost him a lot more.

The man moved to the front of the Yellowknife territorial court in a yellow hoodie and sunglasses. Judge Robert Gorin ordered him to remove his glasses. The 20-year-old, who has been on probation since June 2005, was ordered to appear in court after missing nine meetings with his youth worker.

"I screwed up a lot as a kid. Assaults and stuff like that," he said in court.

Defence lawyer James Brydon said that his client is on the path to a crime-free life, noting that he is working as a truck driver and has plans to attend college to become a firefighter.

Gorin fined the man $500. His prior criminal record as a youth would have been expunged, but the judge's ruling, means those convictions will be placed on his adult criminal record.

"I'm not worried about it," he said. "In three years, I will apply for a pardon."