The scheduled trial in Prince George provincial court of a man charged with assault has been suddenly cancelled and the charge stayed.
Guillaume Saulnier, 40, was accused of committing the offence on Jan. 13, 2024. He was not in custody.
Crown prosecutor Kristina King told Judge David Simpkin that the charge had been stayed, but provided no further information. Saulnier’s lawyer, Wesley Perrin, was not present.
The official Crown policy is to keep reasons confidential unless the Assistant Deputy Attorney General decides it is in the public interest to comment on a case.
Damienne Darby of the BC Prosecution Service said the prosecutor received further information about the Saulnier case and concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met.
“In these circumstances, a stay of proceedings is the appropriate course of action,” Darby said.
Prosecutors decide to proceed with a case if it is in the public interest and there is a substantial likelihood of conviction.
