Dieppe unlawful confinement charge dropped
An unlawful confinement charge against a Saint-Paul man in connection with an incident involving a woman in the back of a van in Dieppe last summer has been dropped.
David Beaulieu, 40, was scheduled to stand trial in Moncton's Court of Queen's Bench Wednesday on two charges — unlawful confinement and aggravated assault.
Instead, Beaulieu pleaded guilty to the included offence of assault causing bodily harm, between Aug. 9 and Aug. 19.
But the Crown and defence still don't agree on all of the facts of the case, the courtroom heard.
RCMP have said they received a tip on Aug. 19 that a man was driving around with an injured woman in the back of his van.
Later that afternoon, the police located the suspect vehicle on Regis Street in Dieppe and conducted a traffic stop.
The driver co-operated with the police and opened the back of the van, where police found an injured woman, who was taken to hospital.
No information about the nature of her injuries or her condition has been released yet.
If the two sides can't reach an agreement on the facts before sentencing, a hearing may be required, which would likely involve the victim testifying.
Beaulieu, who remains in custody, is scheduled to be sentenced by Justice Stephen McNally on Feb. 17.
The Crown has requested a victim impact statement.
The maximum sentence for assault causing bodily harm is 10 years in prison.
