A Kelowna man who once admitted to being behind the wheel of a car that hit a newspaper carrier during a police chase in December 2013 is now adamant that he was a passenger.
Donald Brodie is on trial for criminal negligence causing bodily harm, flight causing bodily harm, impaired driving causing bodily harm, obstructing police and resisting arrest after he was in a car that sped away from a police road check in Rutland before hitting the 41-year-old newspaper carrier, seriously injuring him.
Another man, Nathan Fahl, was initially charged as the driver in the incident until Brodie wrote multiple letters to police and the media saying that he was actually the driver.
But in court on Monday, Brodie testified that he lied in order to get his friend out of jail and that he was surprised when he got charged because he thought it would take more than a couple of letters.
“My whole goal by doing that was to help my friend and get him out of jail,” he testified during cross-examination “That was the sole purpose of me ever saying that I driving.”
During his time on the stand, Brodie avoided referring to Fahl by name, only calling him “his friend”. Even when Crown lawyer Dave Grabavac asked Brodie if Fahl was the man he was referring to during his testimony, Brodie said he didn’t know.
Brodie also denied that a shin injury he received during the police chase on his right leg was caused by a foot pedal.
“I’m gonna suggest the reason you got injured on you shin is that your shin either hit the gas pedal or the clutch or break because you were the driver,” said Grabavac.
“I was in the passenger seat,” replied Brodie “I got injured from being thrown around and trying to get out and being rammed by other vehicles.”
Final arguments are expected to be made on Wednesday.