Theft charge dropped against former councillor who said he lied to protect wife

A judge has dismissed a theft chargeagainst a former councillor of North West River, even though Timothy Blake had once confessed to police that he stole money from the Labrador town.

Blake, who was accused of stealing more than $70,000 from the Town of North West River, testified in court that he lied when he told police he tookmoney from the town.

His former wife, Holly Flowers, was sentenced in July 2019 to four months in jail for her part in stealing money from the town, where she had formerly worked as town clerk. Money went missing between January 2014 and April 2016.

Blake was charged after RCMP officers travelled to Rigolet to interview Flowers, who by that time was working with the local Inuit government.

Blake went to the police in June 2018and confessed to the theft. He told investigatorsthat he was on drugs and had no money, and that for part of the 10 months that he was on town council, he would steal money from the building to pay for drugs.

Blake told policehe hadlearned from news accounts that he had stolen over $70,000 and was surprised to learn that the number was so high, as he hadn't been keeping track ofamounts.

But incourt, Blake contradicted his June 2018 statement, and said the confession was an attempt to protect Flowers.

During his testimony, Blake said he had lied to the police, that he didn't know where any of the money had gone. and thathe didn't spend it.

Blake claimed he was trying to protect his wife and children, and said although he was mad at this wife, he didn't want to see her go to jail. Flowers was not aware that he was going to confess, according to Blake.

Provincial court judgeRolf Pritcharddismissed the charge against Blake, noting that the only directevidence against Blake was his original statement.

'I can't say with certainty that Mr. Blake was not involved in this in some fashion, but absent his confession, I don't view the evidence as proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," Pritchard wrote.

In his decision, delivered in Happy Valley-Goose Bay onMay 11, Pritchard said there were parts of Blake's statement that the RCMP officer who took it"frankly did not believe."

Later in 2018, Blake learned that Flowers was leaving him for someone else.

Blake told the court that was when he decided he would tell the truth.

Flowers testified against Blake during his trial, claiming Blake would take cash from a drawer several times a week while she was present.

Pritchard described her evidence as "clearly self-serving" and that its purpose was to minimize her involvement while further implicating Blake.

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