Jon Kingsbury's signature came under intense scrutiny in New Westminster Supreme Court last Friday, when the trial of the former Coquitlam mayor on four counts involving the alleged theft of a trailer wrapped up.
Crown counsel Brian McKinley alleged Kingsbury attempted to write "Jean Aussant" on a sign-out sheet at the Langley dealership where the RV he took was being worked on. Kingsbury denied he tried to forge the signature, only saying he signed "a" name.
"They didn't ask for ID," he said. "I just scribbled on the sign-out sheet and left. It wasn't a major theft or anything."
He said the first letter of his signature, J, is always written the same way, however his last name, Kingsbury, is often scribbled eligibly. When the crown asked whether the first letter of the last name on the sign-out sheet appeared to be an A, Kingsbury said it looked more like a U.
"I wasn't trying to be deceptive," he said. "I was trying to secure a trailer that I paid for."
Kingsbury's trial closed last Friday; he is facing charges of theft over $5,000, personation with intent to gain advantage, causing a person to use a forged document and fraud over $5,000.
The charges relate to an incident in the summer of 2008, when Kingsbury was accused of stealing a travel trailer from a Langley RV by pretending to be the owner, former business associate Jean Aussant. Kingsbury said he loaned Aussant $24,000 to buy the trailer and seized the asset after their business deal soured in order to recoup some of his money.
In the defence's summary, lawyer Peter Schmidt said Kingsbury was under the impression he was an owner of the RV. Schmidt described the business arrangement between the two men as "unsophisticated" and said many of the problems Kingsbury now faces could have been avoided had lawyers vetted their dealings.
But he denied any of Kingsbury's actions were criminal and said there were many inconsistencies in the evidence.
He added that the signature on the sign-out sheet at the RV dealership was not "an Aussant signature beyond a reasonable doubt."
In the Crown's summary, McKinley told the court Kingsbury did not pursue any lawful means of seizing the trailer. He added that Kingsbury either told the employees at the dealership that he was Jean Aussant or allowed them to believe he was the owner of the trail.
"He knew they thought he was Aussant," he said. "He signed his name in that particular way in order... to impersonate Aussant."
The lawyers will meet tomorrow (Thursday) in order to set a date to hear the judgment, which is expected next month.
