CORNER BROOK — Imposing a fine upon a young offender is something that generally doesn’t happen, and the reason, according to a Corner Brook judge, is they don’t usually have an independent means to pay it.
But in the case of a young offender who admitted to snowmobiling in Gros Morne National Park without a permit, Judge Wayne Gorman decided the youth did have the means to pay and fined him $400 during an appearance in provincial court in Corner Book on Tuesday.
The young man, who was 17 when he committed the offence in January, is dependent on his parents for financial support, but also receives employment insurance.
He was charged with snowmobiling in a national park without a permit and with operating a snowmobile in a national park without having numbered plates affixed and exposed on the side of the vehicle.
The Crown had sought a total of $1,800 in fines in accordance with sentencing precedents for the offences when they are committed by an adult.
However, different considerations apply to a young offender, Gorman said.
The maximum fine that can be imposed under the Youth Criminal Justice Act is $1,000.
He noted again in his written decision that judges should refrain from imposing fines that are of such an amount that a parent will pay it.
Gorman broke the fine down into $350 for operating a snowmobile in the park without a permit and $50 for not having a licence plate on the snowmobile.
Gorman also imposed a one-year prohibition preventing the young man from operating a snowmobile in any national park for one year.
Diane Crocker is a reporter covering the west coast of Newfoundland.
