Cold Lake military court fines corporal

A Canadian Forces corporal pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge stemming from making a false insurance claim.

The financial pressure of having a $55,000 debt and raising two children on a corporal’s salary in the northern city likely led Cpl. Gregory Newton to his actions, said military judge Cmdr. Sandra Sukstorf, who urged the 31-yearold military man to get financial counselling.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Newton, who is an aviation systems technician for 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron, told a military police officer that someone smashed the back window of his black Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck while he was at home on Nov. 15, 2016.

Newton wanted a police report to file an insurance claim.

Newton said he was alone when he went to a local gas station earlier that day, but when military police examined video footage from the station, they saw another man with Newton.

When a military police officer went back to ask Newton about the footage, the corporal told the officer he had lied about someone breaking his truck window. A garbage can full of debris had fallen through the window when Newton was hauling refuse to the dump earlier that day.

He later withdrew his insurance claim.

Newton pleaded guilty to one count of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline. He was fined $500 to be paid in monthly $100 increments.