Masih Allahbakhshi was feeling relieved but not too relieved when a charge against him of an attempting poisoning was dropped Wednesday.
"I'll be feeling good when I am cleared completely," the MUN engineering PhD student told The Telegram after the Crown withdrew the charge on the grounds of no reasonable prospect of conviction.
Allahbakhshi still has other matters before the court, including a charge of attempting to murder the same man he had been accused of poisoning.
Allahbakhshi, 30, was charged with administering a noxious substance to a fellow university student in April 2017, though he wasn't charged until almost a year later, as police awaited the results of forensic testing.
Allahbakhski was accused of putting medication - mainly anti-depressants - in a pot of instant mashed potatoes he was cooking for himself and the other man. Both of them reportedly ate the potatoes and became ill shortly afterward.
There was never much evidence in the case, Allahbakhshi's lawyer, Mark Gruchy, said after the charge was withdrawn.
"The count that was dropped today was always, in my view, very weak, to the point of non-existent," he said, adding there had been discussion for a while about possibly dropping the charge. "The reality is we've gone this far with it and now the Crown has made the right decision and they've indicated on the record there was no reasonable prospect of conviction, which is a reflection of that extreme weakness.
"It's important for people to realize that just because there is a charge that is laid, it does not mean that there is a case."
Allahbakhshi will go to trial in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John's in September on a charge of trying to murder the same man by attempting to push him over a cliff on Signal Hill, also in April 2017. The two men reportedly fell about 20 feet, and the victim received minor injuries.
In the meantime, he'll be back in provincial court in July for a status update on charges of shoplifting and breaching a court order.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
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