Mike Bhangu is seen in a screenshot from a video posted on Facebook as he gives a wildfire update, Aug. 19, 2021.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Mike Bhangu

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A former Merritt city councillor's criminal charges for uttering threats were dropped after a recent ruling.

Mike Bhangu was charged in August 2021 for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, which was alleged to have occurred in June of that year. He was a city councillor at the time.

The complainant, Dave Prest, made racist comments about Bhangu in court, and Bhangu believes that was at the root of charge in the first place.

Bhangu was acquitted on Tuesday, March 7, finally hearing the decision from judge Raymond Phillips after a trial in November, according to court documents.

Prest claimed people of south Asian descent treat women "like shit" during the trial, Bhangu said. Prest also claimed Bhangu threatened he could use his position as a city councillor to get the man's business out of town, which Bhangu said he denies.

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"In my opinion, (the judge) was super upset when delivering that decision, so it felt like I finally had someone that was listening," Bhangu told iNFOnews.ca. "And it restored my faith in the system."

Bhangu, who is of south Asian descent, said the incident was a "manifestation" of racism and the year-and-a-half long court process took time away from him, leaving him to "pick up the pieces."

"He didn't appear happy with the prosecution when delivering his decision. I think he felt this thing had no place in the courtroom," Bhangu said.

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Bhangu did tell Prest to "get the fuck off" his property, while Prest was there to help retrieve things that belonged to Bhangu's ex-girlfriend.

"It was all over in five minutes," Bhangu said.

Bhangu's ex also happened to be the niece of Linda Brown, who was the mayor at the time. 

Bhangu remained on Merritt city council until he resigned in December 2021.

He announced his resignation on social media on Dec. 13, saying he had no confidence in then-Mayor Linda Brown's ability to lead or represent Merritt city council fairly.

Brown and Bhangu both lost in their bids to be the mayor of Merritt in the 2022 municipal election. Michael Goetz was the winner.

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