Mr. Buchanan

The accused was charged with multiple counts of mischief and assault with a weapon after rocks were thrown at several motor vehicles and a home in a residential neighbourhood.

The primary issue at trial was the identity of the culprit.

The court considered eyewitness testimony, in-dock identification, and circumstantial evidence including the tight temporal and geographical proximity of the accused's arrest to the crimes.

The court found that the elements of the offences were proven and that the accused was the sole person responsible, entering findings of guilt on three counts of assault with a weapon and twelve counts of mischief.

The defendant, a maternal grandmother, was charged with assaulting her four-year-old granddaughter and breaching probation.

The Crown alleged the defendant caused visible injuries to the child on July 17, 2024, including a bruised eye, cut lip, and grab marks.

The defendant denied the allegations, attributing the child's appearance to a heat rash and claiming she had only spanked the child once.

The trial turned on the credibility of the child's testimony, which contained significant inconsistencies regarding how and when injuries were sustained.

The court found that while the child's account of prior abuse was unclear and unsupported by a FACS worker who had visited the home the day before without observing injuries, the inconsistencies in the child's narrative about the cut lip created reasonable doubt.

The defendant was acquitted on both charges.

This decision concerns the sentencing of two youths, M.D. and T.P., for their involvement in a bank robbery and other related offences.

M.D. also brought a Charter motion alleging unreasonable delay in his bail hearing.

The court found a Charter violation for M.D. due to systemic delays in the bail system, resulting in a two-month reduction in his sentence.

T.P. received a longer sentence due to his older age, prior record, and additional offences.