J.D. Takach

The offender pleaded guilty to defrauding her employer of over $219,000 over a five-year period using three separate methods, including forging a colleague's signature on cheques.

The Crown sought an 18-23 month custodial sentence with restitution and a fine in lieu of forfeiture.

The defence sought a conditional sentence.

The court imposed a one-year custodial sentence, finding that a conditional sentence would be inconsistent with the fundamental purposes of sentencing, particularly denunciation and deterrence in cases involving breach of trust.

The court also imposed restitution orders and a fine in lieu of forfeiture.

The accused was charged with dangerous driving, possession of stolen license plates, and breach of probation arising from an incident on January 31, 2014, in a parking lot behind a bar in Hamilton.

Two plainclothes police officers observed a vehicle with three occupants and initiated a liquor license investigation.

When the officers approached, the vehicle accelerated and fled the scene.

The central issue was identification of the driver.

The court found the accused guilty of possession of stolen plates and breach of probation but acquitted on the dangerous driving charge due to insufficient evidence regarding the officer's precise location at the time of acceleration and uncertainty about whether the officer was directly in front of the vehicle.