Ms. M. Tait

The defendant, Anthony Doiron-Francis, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated sexual assault following a severe attack on a female stranger.

He admitted guilt to aggravated assault.

The court found him not guilty of attempted murder, concluding that the Crown failed to prove specific intent to kill beyond a reasonable doubt.

However, the court found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault, determining that the assault was objectively sexual in nature due to the circumstances, including the complainant's pants being pulled down during the struggle.

For sentencing purposes, the court found the Crown did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offence was sexually motivated.

Christopher Benson, a repeat sex offender, was sentenced for breaching a 10-year Section 161 order by being present in his wife's home daycare and for making sexually explicit material available to a four-year-old child (A.D.) to facilitate sexual offences.

The court found the breaches of the Section 161 order to be flagrant and long-standing, and the offence against A.D. to be premeditated and predatory, exploiting her vulnerabilities.

Despite some mitigating factors like a guilty plea for the breach, the court emphasized denunciation, deterrence, and public protection, particularly for vulnerable children.

The total sentence imposed was two years less a day of incarceration, followed by three years of probation with specific conditions, a 17-year Section 161 order, a lifetime SOIRA order, and a DNA order.

The judge stressed the importance of a lengthy period of community supervision to ensure rehabilitation and public safety.