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Trial judge's reasons for rejecting accused's testimony were sufficient to permit appellate review; conviction restored.
The accused was convicted of sexual assault against a young child who attended a daycare operated by his wife.
The trial judge found the child's declarations reliable and rejected the accused's testimony, finding his explanations to be attempts at justification.
The Court of Appeal set aside the conviction, holding that the trial judge's reasons for rejecting the accused's testimony were insufficient.
The Supreme Court of Canada allowed the Crown's appeal and restored the conviction, holding that the trial judge's reasons, viewed as a whole, adequately demonstrated the rationale behind her findings on credibility and reasonable doubt, and were sufficiently amenable to appellate review.
