Court Briefs
Manslaughter case back in court
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Published Friday, July 4, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife man charged with manslaughter has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Roman Bourque, 24, is charged in the beating death of Emerson Curran last summer.
Bourque elected to go straight to trial during his appearance at territorial court Wednesday.
His preliminary hearing was scheduled to have gotten underway Aug. 22.
Preliminary hearings are held to determine if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.
Curran, 21, died from head injuries in an Edmonton hospital after getting involved in fight at a house party in Frame Lake South.
Bourque was charged with manslaughter on Aug. 30, five days after Curran died.
Curran, who was from Ottawa, was in Yellowknife for the summer working for Air Tindi as a dock hand.
Bourque, who has been out on bail for the past 10 months, also had his bail restrictions loosened.
Judge Garth Malakoe ruled Bourque can now travel outside the NWT.
Crown prosecutor Ryan Carriere did not oppose that decision.
No reason was given for his request to be able to leave the territory.
A date for the trial has not yet been announced.
None of the allegations against Bourque have been proven in court.
Drunk driver found asleep at the wheel - twice
A Yellowknife man was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest and 12 months probation in territorial court Wednesday after being convicted of two drinking and driving related offences which occurred last year.
Last November, police found Joshua Nelson Brown in the driver's seat of his parked and running pick-up truck in the parking lot of Coyote's Bar and Grill. Brown was charged with refusing a breathalyzer test.
The previous March he was found by RCMP asleep at the wheel of his parked but running vehicle in a residential neighbourhood in Hay River last March.
Neighbours said his vehicle had partially blocked a driveway for about four hours in the middle of the day.
A Breathalyzer test revealed a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood - almost twice the legal limit.
In that instance, he was charged with care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired.
He later pleaded guilty to both charges.
Brown has a previous impaired driving conviction dating back in 2008.
His lawyer, Tony Amoud, said incarceration would not have helped his client deal with his substance abuse issues.
As part of his conditional sentence, Brown must perform 30 hours of community service and attend substance abuse counselling sessions.
He will be allowed to go to work and Judge Garth Malakoe made a change to his original conditions so that Brown can play for his two recreational softball teams.
His driver's licence has been suspended for two years.
Crown prosecutor Jen Bond had asked for a 30 to 60 day jail sentence.
Woman caught drunk driving hours after warning
A woman has been fined $1,400 and is prohibited from driving for a year after she was convicted of impaired driving Wednesday.
Court heard the woman, 27, had just received a 24-hour roadside suspension the day before when she was pulled over again by RCMP near the Multiplex in April.
Police said the woman tried to avoid them by pulling down a side street.
She was given a Breathalyzer test which revealed a
blood alcohol content of 0.14 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood.
She had pleaded guilty to impaired driving in court on June 3.
In passing sentence, Judge Garth Malakoe noted the woman did not have a previous criminal record and had taken steps to deal with her alcohol-related issues.
