A. Alton

The accused was charged with break and enter, sexual assault, and sexual interference after entering a stranger's home in the middle of the night and touching the 13-year-old complainant's buttock in her bedroom.

The court found the complainant and her family to be credible and reliable witnesses, despite minor inconsistencies in their evidence.

The court rejected the defence's arguments of inadvertent collusion and motive to fabricate.

The accused was found guilty on all counts.

The plaintiff brought a motion to find the defendant in contempt for failing to comply with a prior court order requiring a sworn statement of worldwide assets and attendance at an examination.

The underlying action involved an alleged $1.4 million fraud.

The defendant sought an adjournment to retain counsel, which the court denied as a blatant delay tactic, noting the defendant had seven months to do so.

The court found the defendant in contempt, as he had actual knowledge of the clear and unequivocal order and deliberately disobeyed it.

A sentencing hearing was scheduled, with an opportunity provided to purge the contempt.

Two young persons charged with street racing causing death, street racing causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing death, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm brought applications under section 11(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms alleging unreasonable delay in trial.

The charges arose from a fatal motor vehicle collision on April 14, 2014.

The information was sworn on May 13, 2014, with trial anticipated to conclude on October 5, 2016, representing a total delay of 28.75 months.

The court applied the framework established in R. v. Jordan, 2016 SCC 27, which created presumptive ceilings of 18 months for provincial courts.

The court found that while the delay exceeded the presumptive ceiling, it was justified by exceptional circumstances, including an unforeseen adjournment request by co-accused's counsel and the transitional nature of the case.

The court also considered the case under the pre-Jordan Morin framework and found the delay was not unreasonable in that context either.