The defendant was charged with permitting a motor vehicle to be operated without insurance contrary to section 2(1)(b) of the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act.
A police officer observed the defendant's vehicle being driven by another person, checked the vehicle's registration, and later called an insurance company.
The Crown argued that once ownership and lack of insurance were established, the defendant's permission to drive could be inferred.
The court dismissed the charge, finding that the Crown failed to prove all essential elements of the offence beyond a reasonable doubt, particularly the element that the defendant permitted the driver to operate the vehicle.
