SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Ecole Allain St. Cyr students filled the front row of NWT territorial court Oct. 9 for the school's Career Day.

After a court sheriff gave them the "no food, no cellphones, no gum" rundown, they settled in to listen to the second half of an assault trial, which put an RCMP officer on the stand to testify about a complainant's injuries.

The students were filed out of the courtroom by a teacher soon after they got there, however, when the defence lawyer asked the officer: "Is it possible that it (the injury) could be a hickey, (which) results (from) a man or a woman sucking on a person's neck?"

If you're going to drink, don't drive: judge

Too many people get killed or hurt by drunk drivers, and it's all too easy to avoid, Judge Bernadette Schmaltz told a first-time offender in territorial court Tuesday.

The 22-year-old Yellowknife woman pleaded guilty to an Aug. 21 charge of driving while having more than the legal level of alcohol in her blood.

She was pulled over by municipal enforcement officers that night when they saw her driving without headlights on.

Officers found an open bottle of vodka under the driver's seat, said Nguyen.

The woman was fined $1,200 and given a one-year driving prohibition.

Man accused of threatening to kill family

A Yellowknife man accused of threatening to burn down his house with his wife and children inside is free until his next court date, provided he stays away from his family and keep the peace.

In addition to one charge of uttering death threats, the man also faces one charge of assault with a weapon in relation to the same alleged incident on Oct. 6.

The man appeared in NWT territorial court Oct. 9 on a remand warrant. At the time, he was waiting on a separate court date for a drunk driving charge.

He will next appear in court Nov. 24. The couple is going through a divorce.

Man too old for joyriding: judge

A 32-year-old Yellowknife man was fined $1,000 and sentenced to 30 days in jail after taking a truck, driving into a snow ditch and then not showing up to court to face his charges.

"You're too old for taking an auto (without permission). That's a charge that's usually dealt with in youth court," Judge Bernadette Schmaltz told the man, Tony Raddi, on Tuesday.

Raddi took the truck, which was left unlocked, on Dec. 11, 2008. After driving it to a friend's house only to discover he wasn't home, Raddi decided to drive like a "speed demon" – in his own words – down to Con Mine. He crashed in a snow ditch, where he was found by RCMP.

He was also sentenced to 10 days in jail – for a total of 40 days – for breaching an order not to drink alcohol. On Aug. 6, RCMP found the man sitting drunk in a driveway at 12:30 a.m.

Crown waiting on 'forensic evidence' in child porn case

A Yellowknife man charged in the nationwide RCMP "Project Salvo" child porn investigation made his second brief appearance in territorial court Tuesday.

Harold Jerome Wedgerfield faces one count of possessing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.

After first appearing in September, Wedgerfield's second court appearance was set for the Crown to decide whether to prosecute by summary conviction or indictment. An indictment conviction would entail up to 10 years in prison for the distribution charge and five years for the possession charge.

However, Crown prosecutor Terri Nguyen said she was not ready to proceed because she "has not received further forensic analysis."

Wedgerfield is not in custody. He is set to appear again Nov. 3, at which time the Crown will make its election on how to proceed.