The arraignment of a man accused in the motor vehicle death of a Vancouver 23-month-old toddler has once again been delayed.
On July 6, 2021, a black Ford Escape collided with a black McLaren sports car at the intersection of Smithe and Hornby streets.
The collision sent the SUV onto a nearby sidewalk where it hit a man carrying his toddler.
"The child died and the father was taken to hospital with life-altering injuries," the Vancouver Police Department said at the time.
Seyed Ramin Moshfeghi Zadeh was charged with one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death and one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm.
Police alleged Moshfeghi Zadeh was driving the Escape.
He was arrested at the time of the accident.
He is also facing two charges of breaching a release order and wilfully resisting or obstructing a police officer.
He has fired several lawyers but Sarah Leamon is now confirmed as his lawyer, Vancouver provincial court Judge Kathryn Denhoff heard May 18.
Hapin Lyu, an articling student with Leamon, asked for an adjournment for a month, “for resolution discussions with Crown.”
On May 4, Judge Bonnie Craig was told by Crown the case has been ready to proceed for some time. She was told Moshfeghi Zadeh’s second lawyer had set a preliminary hearing in the case in December but that was cancelled as that person was no longer his lawyer a month later.
On that date, Lyu had asked for four weeks before the next court date.
“It’s not going to be adjourned for four weeks,” Craig said of the then-293-day-old case.
Now, Denhoff said, the case will return June 7 for admissions of fact and for Moshfeghi Zadeh to make his re-election of how he wants to proceed.
