MONTREAL, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A Canadian appeals court acquitted former ice hockey great Guy Lafleur of perjury charges stemming from his testimony in his son's trial, officials said.
The court ruled a lower court gave "unwarranted weight" to Lafleur's failing to tell a hearing in 2007 his son Mark had spent two weekends at a hotel during leave from a drug rehab center, The (Montreal) Gazette reported Tuesday.
At the hearing, Guy Lafleur testified Mark, who was under a court-ordered curfew, was at the family home, the newspaper said.
Guy Lafleur was convicted of obstruction of justice on June 18 2009 and was given a one-year suspended sentence.
In the appeal, the three-judge panel faulted prosecutors for presenting no evidence Mark Lafleur was compelled to stay at his parents' home.
Therefore, the lower court was wrong to say that Guy Lafleur "lied" by failing to mention the nights his son spent at a hotel, the panel ruled.
Guy Lafleur played professional ice hockey from 1971 to 1991 for the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques in an NHL career featuring five Stanley Cup championships.
