Jenny Catherine McKnight

The accused pled guilty to aggravated assault after stabbing his intimate partner multiple times in the neck and face.

Both the accused and the victim were survivors of the Rwandan genocide.

A psychiatric assessment concluded the accused suffered from severe PTSD and was likely in a dissociative state during the attack, triggered by discussions regarding HIV status.

The court found a causal link between the accused's mental illness and the offence, significantly reducing his moral culpability.

The accused was sentenced to one year of incarceration, with a recommendation for a treatment centre, followed by two years of probation.

The accused, charged with second degree murder, sought a pre-trial ruling to admit evidence of the deceased's bad character, specifically text messages suggesting the deceased possessed a handgun and dealt drugs.

The accused argued this evidence was relevant to his claim of self-defence, as it supported his belief that the deceased's friends were retrieving a real gun during the altercation.

The Crown opposed, arguing the evidence was irrelevant and prejudicial.

The court allowed the application, finding the evidence had probative value regarding the accused's state of mind, the credibility of the Crown's witnesses, and the likelihood that the deceased's words were intended as a threat, which outweighed any prejudicial effect.

This was a preliminary inquiry into 30 counts of criminal offences involving drug trafficking and firearm possession.

The Crown alleged that the two accused were engaged in a joint enterprise to traffic in street drugs over a two-month surveillance period.

The court examined whether there was sufficient evidence to commit the accused to trial on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking, firearm offences, breach of recognizance, and possession of proceeds of crime.

The key issues were whether the evidence supported reasonable inferences of possession and control over drugs and cash found at various locations, and whether the accused had knowledge of and control over a handgun found at one accused's residence.

The accused was charged with firearm offences, possession for the purposes of trafficking in crack cocaine, and breach of a recognizance.

The Crown sought detention on secondary and tertiary grounds, arguing the accused presented a substantial likelihood of re-offending and that public confidence in the administration of justice required detention.

The accused proposed release on a recognizance with a live-in surety (his mother), house arrest, and electronic monitoring.

The court found the accused met the reverse onus by demonstrating the proposed conditions would adequately reduce the risk of re-offending on the secondary ground and would maintain public confidence on the tertiary ground, despite the serious nature of the allegations and the accused's extensive criminal record.