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Police officer with minor involvement in investigation qualified as expert on fentanyl trafficking.
During a trial for possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, the Crown sought to qualify a police officer as an expert witness on the consumption and distribution of fentanyl.
The defence challenged the officer's admissibility, arguing a lack of necessity, qualifications, and independence due to his involvement in the execution of a search warrant in the case.
Applying the Mohan and White Burgess frameworks, the court found the officer was qualified and capable of fulfilling his duty to the court, given his minor role in the investigation.
The officer was accepted as an expert, but prohibited from opining on the ultimate issue of whether the accused possessed the drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
The court sentenced the offender to eight months in custody and a ten-year animal ownership ban for deliberately killing a puppy.
The accused was sentenced for animal cruelty resulting in death.
During a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, the accused threw his 12-week-old German Shepherd puppy out a door and down stairs, then chased and slammed it to the ground, causing fatal injuries.
The court imposed an eight-month custodial sentence (less 68 days pre-sentence custody), a ten-year animal ownership prohibition, and a two-year probation order with conditions including community service, substance abuse counselling, and restrictions on association with witnesses.
