A Burnaby food delivery driver who changed his licence plate with a black marker to dodge parking tickets during deliveries got a $200 fine and some plain talk from a B.C. provincial court judge this week.
“That was kind of dumb,” B.C. provincial court Judge Bonnie Craig told Jun Ou John Liu during a sentencing hearing Monday in Vancouver provincial court. “Don’t do this again. It’s not fair.”
Police had pulled Liu over just inside the Burnaby border at Joffre Avenue and Rumble Street on the evening of June 27, according to facts presented in court.
The 40-year-old's licence plate number had sent up a red flag because another driver had complained to police after getting multiple mysterious bylaw infraction tickets.
“He believed his plates had been duplicated in some fashion,” Crown counsel Louise Gauld told the court.
The Mounties who pulled Liu over discovered a three on his plate had been changed to an eight with a black marker, duplicating a number already in use.
(Burnaby RCMP told the NOW the legitimate plate was owned by a Vancouver Lexus owner.)
“Mr. Liu did not admit right away but he later admitted that he had altered the plates as he stated he was a food delivery driver and he used the plates to avoid getting parking tickets while making his deliveries,” Gauld said.
Liu, who represented himself in court, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle with an altered licence plate number between June 18 and 27 contrary to the Motor Vehicle Act.
He was ordered to pay a $200 fine and a $30 victim fine surcharge.
Craig did not impose a driving ban.
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