The owner of Frank magazine is fighting a $399.91 ticket in court, following a fatal collision with a motorcycle in September.
According to the Toronto Star, Douglas Parker Rudderham’s Cadillac Escalade collided with a motorcycle traveling in front of him on Sept. 14; the motorcycle’s rider, 67-year-old Jack McDonald, died at the scene. The Chronicle-Herald quotes a police investigator as saying Rudderham was responsible for the accident in the police’s opinion, but that he wasn’t criminally negligent.
He’s facing a ticket for failing to drive in a careful and prudent manner in connection, which carries six licence demerits, along with the fine. His lawyer, Joel Pink, says he will fight the ticket; the Star quotes him as saying “Mr. Rudderham believes in principle. He’s not the type of person who pleads (guilty) to something that he didn’t do just to get out of it.”
According to the Chronicle-Herald, McDonald was making a right-hand turn from Grand Lake Road to Kytes Hill Drive at the time of the collision. He’d actually been a member of a committee that was lobbying government to install traffic lights at that intersection.
Along with Coltsfoot Publishing, Frank magazine’s parent company, Rudderhams also owns a big chunk of Pharmacy Wholesale Services, a Quebec-based wholesale medical diagnostics distributor.
Mr. Pink states, “Mr. Rudderham believes in principle. He’s not the type of person who pleads (guilty) to something that he didn’t do just to get out of it.” Mr. Pink goes on to say, “He could pay $399 and go home and accumulate six points and that’s it . . . but he definitely says that he was not driving carelessly or imprudently.”
Well, well, well…he pleaded guilty to tax evasion just so he could sell his company, how’s that for expediency. $1,000,000.00 in bogus receipts submitted by firms including one that he owns. I’m sure in addition to Revenue Canada his minority shareholders aren’t seeing him as quite so principled. I suspect the company he is in negotiation with to buy his pharmacuetical firm must be viewing the due diligience process with extreme suspicion. And to think this character owns a publication that trashes others. I wonder if anyone else see’s him as self indulgent.
A good man is dead and “Parker” hides behind his lawyer. Now there’s principled courage in action.
PWS recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion and paid a penalty of $325,000 plus the taxes of $214,266.
Fighting a ticket because he’s a man of prinicple???? More like a weasel trying to avoid civil liability.
Frank used to be a great magazine, before the previous owners bought it. He made it even worse. Fcuk ’em.