SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With witnesses sitting in the courthouse lobby, an accused 44-year-old man's trial didn't begin as expected when he failed to show up for his own defence on April 21 in territorial court.

Lawyer Hugh Latimer, who had some familiarity with the case, told the court the accused previously intended to have the charges waived and plead guilty. However, he changed his mind and tried, but failed to get legal aid. Latimer added that the accused is believed to still be in Yellowknife.

Before saying anything more, the judge asked Latimer if he was representing the accused. After replying he wasn't,

Latimer took the judge's advice and removed himself from the case.

The man is charged with stealing two bottles of hairspray from the downtown Shoppers Drug Mart on March 21, 2010. Crown prosecutor Duane Praught chose not to have the matter tried in the accused's absence. Instead, the judge released a warrant for the man's arrest at Praught's request.

Woman charged with theft, forgery against Air Tindi

A trial date has been set for a Yellowknife woman charged with seven counts of forgery and one count of theft over $5,000 from the Yellowknife-based airline. The offences are alleged to have occurred Sept. 3, 2009 and May 13, 2010. The 42-year-old accused elected on April 19 to be tried by territorial court judge Aug. 24-25. The Crown is treating all the charges as indictable offences, which involve stronger punishment than summary offences.

Trial date set in death threats case

A man and woman co-accused of uttering death threats against a Yellowknife taxi driver had their trial date set in territorial court on April 26. Sadiya Aden, 43, and Mohamad Ahmed Makaran, 23, are scheduled to be tried jointly on June 3, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. for allegedly threatening

the same complainant Makaran's father clubbed over the head with a tire iron on Feb. 23, 2010, in the Shell gas station parking lot.

Ahmed Makaran, Mohamad's father, received nine months of house arrest on Dec. 9, 2010, for the offence. The threats are alleged to have occurred on Jan. 10, 2011.

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