Man denies he set up GoFundMe page to defraud people looking to donate to Humboldt Broncos

A man accused of creating a fraudulent GoFundMe page that claimed to be for the Humboldt Broncostold court on Wednesdayhe just wanted to help people.

Provincial court judge Brent Klause will reveal on Jan. 17 whether he believes the Wakaw man's explanation of what happened.

The Crown and defence wrapped up their cases in a Saskatoon courtroom on Thursday.

Andrij Olesiukstarted a pagecalled"#PrayForHumboldt GoFundMe" after the April 6 crash that killed 16 people, The pageraised about $3,800 before it was taken down.

Olesiuk told court Wednesday that he was devastated by the crash and wanted to help. Instead of giving the money directly to the Humboldt Broncos, Olesiuk told the court he gavea cheque for $4,100 to a woman who came to his door on April 24th, 2018, collecting money for the Broncos.

Olesiuksaidhedoesn't remember who she was and the receipt was destroyed in a fire that happened in February 2019, three months after his arrest.

Olesiuk also known as Jay Max Olesiuk is charged with fraud, possession of property obtained by crime and other offences.

The Crown's case against the 33-year-old is based on documents showing about $3,800 was deposited into Olesiuk's account and never directed to the team.

Sixteen people from the Broncos bus died in the April 2018 crash and 13 others were injured.

Closing arguments will be heard Thursday. The judge is expected to reserve his decision for a later date.