D.W. Johnson

D.C. was found guilty on two counts of sexual abuse against his younger half-sister, T., involving repeated acts of intercourse over 18 months while D.C. was in a caregiving role.

The offences occurred when D.C. was 18-19 and T. was 5-6 years old.

The court considered sentencing principles, including the primacy of denunciation and deterrence for child abuse, and aggravating factors such as breach of trust, the victim's young age, the invasive nature, and the repetition of the abuse.

Mitigating factors included D.C.'s status as a youthful first offender and his difficult background.

The court applied Court of Appeal guidance for a minimum sentence of five or six years for prolonged sexual abuse by an adult in a position of trust.

D.C. was sentenced to 4 years and 5 months imprisonment, after receiving 7 months credit for pre-sentence custody.

Ancillary orders included a DNA sample, a 10-year weapons prohibition, a lifetime SOIRA order, a 20-year order under s. 161 of the Criminal Code, a $200 victim fine surcharge, and a no-contact order with the victim and her immediate family while in custody.

The offender pleaded guilty to mischief, assault, assault causing bodily harm, and sexual assault against his common-law spouse.

The court reviewed a pre-sentence report and a court-ordered psychiatric assessment, noting the offender's severe substance abuse issues and history of violence.

Emphasizing denunciation and deterrence for extreme domestic violence, the court sentenced the offender to two years less a day, credited 589 days for pre-trial custody, followed by three years of probation with strict conditions including no contact with the victim or their children.

The accused was charged with assaulting a peace officer contrary to section 270(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.

Police responded to a 911 call for medical assistance at a residence where a seizure was occurring.

The accused, upset and intoxicated, was asked to leave the kitchen to allow emergency personnel access.

A confrontation ensued between the accused and the officer.

The Crown alleged the accused attempted to head-butt the officer.

The trial judge found that while the accused was agitated and advancing aggressively, the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused intentionally attempted to head-butt the officer.

The accused was acquitted.

The accused, a practicing lawyer, pled guilty to assault after a street altercation involving mutual racial slurs and spitting, during which he threw the first punch and bit off a portion of the victim's ear lobe.

The Crown sought a suspended sentence and criminal record, while the defence sought a conditional discharge.

The court granted a conditional discharge with six months of probation, emphasizing the devastating collateral consequences the accused had already suffered to his career and the principle of parity, given that the other combatants received no criminal convictions.

The offender pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of child pornography and one count of accessing child pornography.

The offender obtained approximately 616 electronic files containing child pornography depicting children aged 6 to 12 years old engaged in various forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.

The court imposed a sentence of 9 months imprisonment followed by 24 months probation, considering the gravity of the offence, the mandatory minimum jail term, the offender's guilty plea, positive pre-sentence report, low risk of reoffending, and rehabilitative potential, while emphasizing the objectives of denunciation and deterrence under section 718.01 of the Criminal Code.