S. Hobson

The Ontario Review Board held a mandatory annual review hearing for an accused found not criminally responsible for arson.

The accused sought a conditional discharge or, alternatively, expanded travel privileges to visit family locally, attend a church trip in the US, and visit Ghana for six weeks.

The Hospital and Crown opposed a conditional discharge, arguing the accused's schizoaffective disorder causes rapid decompensation requiring hospital supervision.

The Board found the accused remains a significant threat to public safety and maintained the detention order.

However, the Board granted the requested travel privileges subject to strict safeguards, including the requirement that an approved person accompany her during travel.

The accused pleaded guilty to possessing prohibited firearms and ammunition after police discovered the weapons during a search warrant execution related to their tobacco business.

The accused had purchased the firearms for protection after receiving serious threats.

The Crown proceeded summarily and sought a one-year custodial sentence, while the defence sought a suspended sentence or intermittent custody based on the accused's exemplary backgrounds and extensive community service.

The court imposed a 60-day intermittent sentence for each accused, followed by 18 months of probation requiring 240 hours of community service, balancing the need for denunciation with the offenders' significant moral credit for past good deeds.