The defendant was charged with operating a motor vehicle without insurance.
The vehicle was registered to his wife.
The prosecution argued the defendant was a 'common law owner' because he paid for and cancelled the insurance, and had contingent rights under the Family Law Act.
The court held that while paying insurance and being married to the registered owner are indicia of common law ownership, they were insufficient alone to prove ownership beyond a reasonable doubt without evidence of exclusive or predominant use.
The defendant was acquitted.
