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Trial cancelled for South Surrey hit-and-run charges

A man accused of running down two joggers in South Surrey nearly three years ago is no longer going to trial on the charges.
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Then-Surrey RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet shows traffic-camera footage of two joggers being struck as they crossed 152 Street at 32 Avenue in December 2012.

A man accused of running down two joggers in South Surrey nearly three years ago is no longer going to trial on the charges.

But exactly what is happening with the case against Surrey resident Barry Russell Christiansen is unclear.

Criminal Justice Branch spokesman Neil MacKenzie confirmed Wednesday that Christiansen’s trial – which had been scheduled for nine days and set to get underway on Monday – has been adjourned “on the expectation that the accused will be disposing of the matter other than by way of a trial.”

MacKenzie said he could not elaborate “until the case is dealt with.”

Christiansen last appeared in Surrey Provincial Court Sept. 3; the case is set for “disposition” on Sept. 25.

Christiansen’s lawyer could not be reached for comment by PAN press time Thursday.

Three days after the 2012 hit-and-run, police announced the arrest of a 53-year-old Surrey man and the seizure of a BMW X1.

Two charges of “fail to stop at accident scene involving bodily harm” were sworn against Christiansen in December 2013, one year after running partners Nola Carlson and Shelley Lammers were struck as they jogged across 152 Street at 32 Avenue.

Lammers suffered a concussion, fractured ribs, a collapsed lung, two broken vertebrae and a lacerated liver. Carlson’s injuries included a broken nose and cheekbone.

Evidence from the scene included traffic-camera video that captured the impact and – about 25 seconds later – a figure approach the women, lean over them, then rapidly depart.

In the days immediately after, family members of the victims expressed shock that someone could leave such a scene, describing the act as “disturbing.”

Carlson told Peace Arch News two days after she was hit that she was “appalled and frightened” by what happened, and considered herself “extremely lucky to be alive.”



Tracy Holmes

About the Author: Tracy Holmes

Tracy Holmes has been a reporter with Peace Arch News since 1997.
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