Witness says friend of accused was the driver at hit-and-run trial

Jesse Aron Bleck is seen in this undated image. (Jesse Bleck / Facebook)

On Monday, jurors heard testimony from Jamie-Lee Ford-Jones, Jesse Bleck’s ex-girlfriend.

Tristan Roby was struck by a car while cycling along Exeter Road on the night of July 21, 2019.

Jack Helsdon, who was there at the time, said the crash sent his friend Roby into the air, causing life altering brain injuries. Roby, who was 17 at the time, is now in a wheelchair.

Six months after the crash, investigators arrested and charged 29-year-old Bleck.

He has pleaded not guilty to failing to stop at the scene of a collision causing bodily harm and operating a motor vehicle while prohibited.

On Monday morning, Ford-Jones told the courtroom that in June of 2020 she was arrested and charged for uttering threats and for harassment.

While she was in police custody, she said she was told by a Const. Martin that she would be released if she made a statement against Bleck, who is the father of their seven-year-old child.

“I would do anything I could to get out of there,” said Ford-Jones who was angry with Bleck during the time of her arrest.

Ford-Jones later gave a statement to police that was 54 pages long.

She explained that her memory of these events is not clear and that she was under the influence of alcohol and several drugs at the time.

During her testimony, she said that Bleck never had a driver’s licence or a vehicle.

When the Crown asked her about the night of the collision, she said she didn’t remember anyone coming to her house. However, she received a phone call from Bleck who said there was an accident, that he loved her, while hearing sirens in the background.

The following day, Ford-Jones went to the home of Bleck’s brother Cody, trying to find Bleck.

She explained that their friend Ack was the driver and that Bleck was the passenger during the collision.

She was told that Bleck’s friend Trevor stayed at the scene of the crime and that they all pulled into a hotel to drop off the car. Ack planned on turning himself in, she added.

However, she explained that she doesn’t remember a lot of details from that time.

The trial resumes on Tuesday and is expected to last three weeks.