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In The Courts
April
11, 2003
Suspect in Iqaluit
teen's death makes court appearance
Mark King Jeffrey leaves the courtroom before being transferred to a jail outside
Nunavut.
(PHOTO BY KIRSTEN MURPHY)
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Mark King Jeffrey, 22, appeared briefly at the Iqaluit courthouse before his
transfer to a jail outside of Nunavut this week.
It was Jeffrey's first appearance since police charged him with first-degree
murder in connection with the Dec. 6 murder of Inuksuk High School student Jennifer
Naglingniq. Jeffrey had been in a segregated cell at the Baffin Correctional
Centre since March 23.
The department of justice is moving Jeffrey to another facility for safety
reasons, said Ron McCormick, director of corrections for the Government of Nunavut's
justice department.
McCormick would not comment on Jeffrey's new location and said only that the
move was to occur by April 11.
Jeffrey waived his right to appear with his lawyer Susan Cooper during his
April 8 court appearance. Instead, he sat in a courthouse holding cell.
Several dozen friends, family members and spectators waited patiently for a
glimpse at the prime suspect in Naglingniq's death.
Only those who stood in the courthouse hallway received a quick peek at the
handcuffed man whose sweatshirt hood and ball cap hid most of his face.
During his exit from the courthouse, Jeffrey's mother hugged him and told him
to read the bible.
Jeffrey's next court date is June 3.
April
11, 2003
Not only was man not
supposed to drive, he couldn't drive
Anu Michael, 24, was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution after a drunken
night of joyriding in Iqaluit last year.
Michael hijacked and damaged two vehicles on Dec. 30. One of the stolen vehicles
belonged to Rankin Inlet MLA Jack Anawak.
First, an intoxicated Michael got behind the wheel of a Tammaativvik boarding
home van that was unlocked and running near the Brown building, the court heard.
After careening into a ditch on the Road to Apex, Michael, who has never held
a driver's licence, walked to Tundra Valley where he drove off with a black
GMC Envoy owned by Anawak. The Envoy was also unlocked and running.
Once again, Michael didn't get far before he drove the vehicle off the road.
The SUV sustained $11,000 in damages.
The boarding home's van sustained $18,000 in damages.
Justice Beverley Browne ordered Michael to pay the cost of the repairs and
the mandatory $600 fine for impaired driving. She also ordered him to perform
50 hours of community service work and issued a 12-month driving prohibition.
"I don't care if you have a licence or not [you are not to operate a vehicle],"
she said.
Michael was ordered to write apology letters to Jim Taylor at the Tammaativvik
boarding home and Anawak.
April
11, 2003
Escaped inmate returned
to custody after 18-day hiatus
Jerry Papatsie, 32, appeared at the Iqaluit courthouse on April 8, almost three
weeks after he bolted from the same building while in police custody.
Papatsie fled after a show cause hearing on March 17 while an RCMP vehicle
waited to take him to the Baffin Correctional Centre. He was facing charges
of sexual assault and sexual interference.
RCMP have not said where Papatsie hid while on the run 18 for days. A police
news release credits the public with providing "valuable tips" that
lead to his arrest on April 4.
Papatsie faces one charge of escaping lawful custody.
Before leaving the courtroom on April 8, Papatsie offered an enthusiastic smile
and a thumbs-up to friends and family members in the gallery.
His next court date is April 10.
April
11, 2003
Moose mishap costs
driver
Gregory Thomas Jones, 29, was fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to violating
a driving prohibition.
The Iqaluit resident was driving outside Grand Falls, New Brunswick, on Dec.
21 when he hit a moose and totaled his '94 Pontiac Sunbird.
Jones's driver's licence had been suspended after a Sept. 9 impaired driving
charge in Iqaluit and he was ordered by the court not to operate a vehicle.
The driving prohibition remains in effect.
April
11, 2003
Armed teen lashed
out in defence of his father, lawyer says
An Iqaluit teen was sentenced to eight months of probation and ordered to perform
100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to possession of a weapon
for dangerous purpose.
No one was injured in the Feb. 6 incident that, at its peak, had the teen chasing
another Iqaluit male down Ring Road with two knives.
The accused, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, believed the
unnamed Iqaluit male was responsible for a break and enter that affected the
youth's family. The two males met near NorthMart and a chase ensued when the
accused produced the two knives.
A witness notified the RCMP, who arrested the youth without incident.
Justice Beverley Browne noted the seriousness of the incident.
"Once you introduce weapons into a disagreement, terrible things [can]
happen," she said.
April
11, 2003
Smashed by the bottle
and then by a cup
Lisa Atsalnik received a 12-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty
to assault with a weapon.
During a dispute over parenting duties, the 24-year-old mother smashed her
husband in the face with a coffee cup.
The blow left the man with several bloody cuts to his face, a police statement
said.
Atsalnik and her husband were intoxicated at the time, the court heard.
April
11, 2003
Time served counts
toward sentence in Gjoa Haven standoff
A Gjoa Haven man who threatened his girlfriend's father with a knife and vowed
to kill any RCMP officer who came near him during a two-hour stand off was sentenced
to three days in jail and placed on probation for 18 months.
Bobby Konana, 20, had already spent 11 days in remand custody when he pleaded
guilty to assault and uttering threats before Justice Beverley Browne on April
8.
The assault charge stems from a Dec. 29 incident when Konana flew into a rage
during an argument with his then-girlfriend. He pulled a knife on the woman's
father and was later arrested.
Three months later, Konana and his girlfriend were embroiled in a verbal dispute
when he flew into a rage and started smashing furniture, the court heard.
His family vacated the house and called the police.
The RCMP attempted to negotiate with Konana over the phone. During the negotiations,
the distraught male threatened to kill any RCMP officer who showed up, the court
heard. He also threatened to take his own life.
Crown lawyer Ken Kehler referred to the incident as a two-hour stand-off that
ended peacefully.
No firearms were found in the house, the court heard.
April
11, 2003
Drug bust in Qikiqtarjuaq
Vera Alikatuktuk faces a single count of drug trafficking after police seized
more than a kilogram of marijuana worth an estimated $43,200.
Alikatuktuk was charged on April 8. Her next scheduled court appearance is
May 29.
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