The trial of former Coquitlam mayor Jon Kingsbury may have come to an end but the 64-year-old said his legal battle is not over yet.
Following his sentencing Thursday for convictions for forgery, impersonation and fraud over $5,000, for which he received two years probation, Kingsbury told reporters he would be appealing the convictions.
"This whole thing has gotten completely misconstrued. This has been going on for five years," he said, adding that he will be hiring a new attorney when he launches his appeal.
The conviction stems from an incident in 2008 when Kingsbury took a trailer belonging to a former business associate, Jean Aussant, from a Langley RV dealership. Throughout his trial Kingsbury contended that he loaned Aussant $24,000 to buy the trailer and he was only trying to recoup some of the losses related to a soured business arrangement when he took the vehicle.
But Justice Miriam Gropper said that by allowing employees at the dealership to believe he was Aussant and by signing Aussant's signature on the work order, Kingsbury broke the law.
On top of the two years probation, Kingsbury must complete 150 hours of community service within the next 18 months and he is to have no contact with Aussant. He was also ordered to pay a $300 victim surcharge.
Kingsbury's volunteer work, the embarrassment he has suffered as a result of the charges and the fact he had no previous criminal record were taken into account in Gropper's reasons for sentencing.
But she pointed to the fact Kingsbury had time to reflect on his actions before taking the trailer as an aggravating factor. He knew the trailer was not part of a business transaction and deceived employees at the dealership when he said he would bring the vehicle back, she said.
"Justice has been rendered," Aussant said after the sentencing hearing. "I'm glad this is now over... I feel sorry for him."
Between 1998 and 2005,, Kingsbury was mayor of Coquitlam, after serving more than a decade as a city councillor. He last ran for office in 2006, when he lost the mayor's race to Maxine Wilson.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
