A Provincial Court judge gave a man charged with possessing child pornography another month to leave India and return to court in Prince George.
On May 20, Vansh Chawla appeared by phone and said the delay in returning to Prince George was due to the process of obtaining travel documents while visiting his ill mother in India.
Chawla is accused of a July 26, 2024, offence in Prince George.
Crown prosecutor Kristina King unsuccessfully sought an unendorsed warrant for Chawla’s arrest and said he also faces a charge of sexual interference.
Judge Michele Peacock adjourned the hearing to June 24.
King said Chawla told the court on Jan. 12 that he was trying to retain defence lawyer Keith Jones through legal aid. On Feb. 12, Chawla appeared from India, indicating his mother was ill, but he had not yet retained Jones.
Jones appeared on his behalf March 11 but said he had not officially been designated as Chawla’s lawyer. There were three more appearances with Chawla out of the country on March 25, April 15 and April 29.
“Mr. Jones appeared again, as friend of the court, and said that Mr. Chawla would be in Prince George in person for arraignment on May 20,” King said.
That did not happen.
“A lengthy history of appearing outside of this court’s jurisdiction, which is, in essence, him not appearing at all, even though he is by phone,” King said. “No ability to move this matter along in any way, and no indication that that’s going to change anytime soon.”
In Chawla’s defence, Jones said, “It’s not like he’s disappeared into the void of India.”
“He went there to deal with his aging mother, and you can’t blame him for that,” Jones said.
Chawla explained that because he has a temporary resident permit, he needs a travel stamp to travel internationally. The wait period is two to four weeks.
Peacock said she understood the Crown’s concern, but noted Chawla had made efforts to phone in and keep the court apprised of his whereabouts.
“I’m prepared to give you one last adjournment,” Peacock said, adding that the Crown would seek an arrest warrant if he does not attend in person on June 24.
