The offence of assault is widely defined and can capture all kinds of contact that occur in a domestic relationship. It includes any circumstance where a person, without the consent of the other person, applies force intentionally to that person, directly or indirectly. It also includes certain situations where no actual force is applied.
The Offence of Obtaining Sexual Services for Consideration
Section 286.1 of the Criminal Code is part of the new prostitution laws in Canada. It makes it an offence to obtain for consideration, or communicate with anyone for the purpose of obtaining for consideration, the sexual services of a person. The provision criminalizes the purchasing of sexual services but not the selling. It was enacted in 2014 in response to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Bedford to strike down a number of prosititution-related prohibitions.
Sexual Exploitation Mandatory Minimum Struck Down
In a recent case in the Onatrio Superior Court of Justice, the mandatory minimum one year jail sentence for Sexual Exploitation was found to be unconstitutional. This decision is part of what is now a long line of cases where mandatory minimum senteces for sexual offences have been struck down. In the decision of R. v. Cristoferi-Paolucci, Justice McWatt looks to two hypothetical situation where the mandatory minimum would be grossly disproportionate:
La Cour d'appel de l'Ontario ordonne un nouveau procès dans une affaire de conduite dangereuse causant la mort
Martial Laverdure a été accusé de conduite dangereuse ayant causé la mort. Il a frappé un piéton qui quittait une partie de hockey. Il roulait à environ 60 km / h dans une zone de 50 km / h. Le juge de première instance a conclu que la conduite était dangereuse, en particulier compte tenu du volume de circulation piétonnière qui était supérieur à la normale. La Cour d'appel a accepté cette conclusion, mais elle a continué en indiquant qu'une conclusion selon laquelle la conduite était dangereuse n'était pas suffisante pour justifier une déclaration de culpabilité. Sur une accusation de conduite dangereuse, le tribunal doit également déterminer si la conduite constituait un "écart marqué" par rapport à la norme de diligence qu'une personne raisonnable observerait si elle était placée dans les circonstances dans lesquelles l'accusé s'est trouvé. La simple négligence ou l'insouciance ne suffit pas. Dans certains cas, la manière de conduire sera tellement grave qu'une conclusion de départ marqué découlera automatiquement de cette preuve. Ce n'était pas le cas et un nouveau procès a donc été ordonné.
Mental Health and Criminal Law
The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that in a given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health illness. From bipolar disorder to schizophrenia to depression or anxiety, the discussion surrounding mental health is becoming more prevalent, especially with targeted campaigns that try to deal with the stigma of mental health. At the same time, many individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system are affected by mental health issues or illnesses.
Cannabis And Driving: Alternatives To Driving Under The Influence
There are many questions on the minds of Canadians regarding the use of recreational cannabis and driving. How long do you have to wait after consumption to drive? How does cannabis impair your driving ability? Is cannabis treated the same way as alcohol?
What You Need To Tell Your Kids About Pot
As of October 17th 2018 there has been a massive overhaul to the marijuana laws in Canada. As adults we can now purchase, possess, and consume marijuana legally, subject to a number of restrictions. But like with any big change, you can expect some confusion, some modifications and some bumps in the road in the coming months as these new and massive changes to the law get interpreted, applied and then tested in courts all over the country. Because of the complexity and multi-faceted impact of marijuana legalization, a lot remains up in the air at this early stage. School policies, policing policies and administrative policies are all also undergoing massive reviews to reflect the significant changes that will need to be implemented in response to marijuana legalization.
90 day mandatory minimum sentence for sexual interference stuck down
Mandatory minimum senteces for sexual offences are continuing to fall. The mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for sexual interference when the Crown proceeds by indictment has previuosly been declared unconstitutional in many cases Now, the mandatory minimum of 90 days in jail has beem struck down.
Despite police mistakes when seizing a computer to search constituting Charter breaches, the evidence was still deemed admissible
One of the methods by which police are made aware of the presence of child pornography on a computer is when a computer technician is hired to fix the computer and in the process of doing so discovers the illegal content. A recent decision of the Court of Appeal of Alberta, R v Villaroman, 2018 ABCA 220¸ considered such a case.
R. v. Hammerstorm - A Witness' Youth Criminal Record
Often times in a trial, the credibility of a witness is an important issue. The lawyers may seek to attack the credibility of a witness by asking them questions about their criminal record (If they have one). For example, if John Smith swears that he saw my client stealing from a grocery store, it might be helpful to highlight the fact that he himself has a criminal record for perjury (lying to a court). In those circumstances, John Smith's previous criminal conviction for perjury, is relevant to whether he is a credible a witness in my client's trial.
