CORNER BROOK, N.L. — The trial of a woman already convicted of defrauding the Corner Brook Downtown Business Association has been delayed until Dec. 16.
Nicole McKinnon, 31, of Corner Brook, was to go to trial Nov. 6 in Corner Brook provincial court on charges of fraud under $5,000, unauthorized use of a credit card and failure to comply with the condition of an undertaking.
However, she told the court she was not feeling well and requested her trial be postponed.
Judge Wayne Gorman provided extra time to see if she might feel like proceeding a little later in the morning.
When she returned to court, Gorman asked if she was okay to continue.
McKinnon said she was really not well and had been up all night.
Her lawyer, Courtney Mills, said she had no trouble moving forward as McKinnon had indicated she was OK to proceed.
But Gorman said MacKinnon's answer to his question made him uncomfortable about continuing.
He expressed concern about her ability to follow and respond to evidence and, even though the Crown’s witnesses were present, decided to postpone the trial.
He set the new trial date for Dec. 16.
McKinnon is the former executive director of the business association.
The fraud and credit card charges were laid in June, at the same time she was charged with multiple counts of fraud against her former employer. Court documents indicate the credit card belonged to a member of the association’s volunteer board.
McKinnon took more than $63,000 from the association between April and October 2018.
She pleaded guilty to fraud charges involving her employer and charges of theft, possession of stolen cheques and breaches of court orders in August and was sentenced to 12-months house arrest in September.
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