Mahvash Mirza

The accused was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition after police executed a search warrant and found the contraband hidden in a basement where the accused was staying.

At the close of the Crown's case, the defence brought a motion for a directed verdict.

The court found that while there was circumstantial evidence the accused had control of the basement, there was no evidence he had knowledge of the hidden firearm and ammunition.

The motion for a directed verdict was granted and the accused was acquitted of all charges.

The accused, Nehemy Yogo, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm without a licence or registration, contrary to section 95(1) of the Criminal Code.

The firearm, a fully automatic Glock 23 Gen 4, was found in his bedroom after he displayed it to intimidate a driver over an unpaid debt.

The Crown sought a three-year imprisonment sentence, while the defence argued for a conditional sentence, citing mitigating factors such as the accused being a first offender, his guilty plea, remorse, strong family support, and harsh pre-sentence custody conditions due to COVID-19 lockdowns.

The court imposed a sentence of two years less one day imprisonment, to be served as a conditional sentence, followed by two years of probation.

Credit for pre-sentence custody was granted for 237 days, including an additional 60 days for harsh conditions.

A lifetime weapons prohibition, DNA order, and forfeiture of the firearm were also ordered.

The offender pleaded guilty to robbery while armed with a knife, assault with a weapon, and failing to comply with a recognizance following a violent home invasion.

The court considered the offender's youthful age, mental health issues, and background of systemic racism and abuse as mitigating factors, balanced against the severe aggravating factors of the planned, violent group attack on a vulnerable family.

The court imposed a global sentence of 8 years imprisonment, granting 1.5:1 credit for pre-sentence custody and an additional 7 months credit for harsh lockdown conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in 5 years left to serve.

The accused pleaded guilty to robbery using a firearm and discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle with recklessness as to life or safety.

The offences occurred on July 11, 2017, in Burlington, Ontario.

The accused responded to an online advertisement for sexual services, and after a dispute with the service provider, returned to the motel armed with a firearm.

He robbed the motel clerk at gunpoint and later returned to shoot at a vehicle carrying the service provider and her driver.

The sentencing judge imposed a global sentence of eight years imprisonment, with credit for 735 days of pre-sentence custody at a 1.5:1 ratio.

The court rejected the defence submission for a provincial sentence at St. Lawrence Valley Correctional and Treatment Centre, finding insufficient evidence that such placement would better serve the principles of sentencing.