A White Rock RCMP officer charged in connection with the May 2011 incident that killed pedestrian Marilyn Laursen will not go to trial on the matter.
Criminal proceedings against Const. David Bickle – which had been scheduled to get underway in B.C. Supreme Court next Monday – were set aside after the officer pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of driving without due care and attention.
Neil MacKenzie, communications counsel for the Criminal Justice Branch, confirmed Tuesday that the plea to the Motor Vehicle Act offence was entered May 15 in Surrey Provincial Court, where Judge Paul Dohm imposed a fine of $1,200 and a victim fine surcharge of $180.
"After careful consideration of the circumstances, including the evidence that had been heard at the preliminary inquiry in the case, the Crown concluded that it was appropriate to accept a guilty plea to the charge under the Motor Vehicle Act, and not pursue a conviction under the Criminal Code," MacKenzie told Peace Arch News by email.
Bickle had been ordered to stand trial on a charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm following a preliminary inquiry held in February 2014.
The charge related to injuries suffered by the driver of a car that was struck during the pursuit of the vehicle that ultimately struck and killed Laursen as she crossed Johnston Road at Thrift Avenue.
The driver who hit Laursen – Kyle Brandon Danyliuk – pleaded guilty to four charges in connection with the incident, and was sentenced in October 2012 to two years in prison.