Riccardo Rota

The defendant was charged with two counts of uttering a threat to cause death and one count of sexual assault against his wife.

The Crown's case rested entirely on the complainant's evidence, as she was the sole Crown witness.

The defendant testified in his own defence.

The trial judge assessed the credibility and reliability of both witnesses and found the complainant's evidence to be credible, consistent, and logical, while finding significant gaps in logic and implausibility in the defendant's evidence.

The defendant's narrative failed to explain why the complainant would leave the home on two separate occasions if his version of events were true.

The trial judge found the defendant guilty on all three counts.

The accused was charged with two offences: driving with an excessive blood alcohol level contrary to s. 253(1)(b) of the Criminal Code, and possession of a prohibited weapon (a centrifugal force knife) contrary to s. 91(2) of the Criminal Code.

The accused brought a Charter application alleging racial profiling by the arresting officer, claiming he was arbitrarily detained in violation of s. 9 of the Charter.

The trial judge rejected the racial profiling allegation, finding the officer conducted a legitimate R.I.D.E. spot-check and that the accused's race played no role in the detention.

The trial judge found the officer credible and the accused's evidence unreliable on key points.

The accused was convicted on both counts.

The accused was charged with refusing to provide a breath sample contrary to section 254(5) of the Criminal Code.

The Crown proved that a valid traffic stop was made based on the accused's erratic driving, a valid ASD demand was made based on reasonable suspicion of alcohol consumption, and a valid breath demand was made based on reasonable and probable grounds.

The accused refused to provide a breath sample multiple times in the breath room, stating his refusal was due to anger at perceived mistreatment by the arresting officer.

The court found no Charter violations and convicted the accused of refusing to provide a breath sample, finding all elements of the offence proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

A young person in custody at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre was charged with three counts of unlawfully using violence with intent to provoke fear in justice system participants to impede them in their duties, three counts of criminal harassment, and one count of mischief to property under $5,000.

The charges arose from an incident where the accused became aggressive and belligerent after being denied telephone access, shouted at staff, clenched his fists, approached staff members, and threw a telephone receiver against a wall.

The court found that the accused's conduct, while disruptive and inappropriate, did not constitute violence as legally defined, nor did it constitute threatening conduct designed to instill fear.

The court distinguished between disruptive institutional misconduct and criminal behaviour.

The accused was acquitted on all counts except mischief to property, for which he was convicted.

The accused brought a Charter section 11(b) motion alleging unreasonable delay in proceedings.

The Crown failed to file its response to the motion in accordance with court rules, serving and filing its materials only on the morning of the hearing rather than the required 15 days in advance.

The defence sought a remedy for this non-compliance, proposing either that the motion proceed without Crown cross-examination or that trial dates be adjourned.

The court found that the Crown's late filing constituted non-compliance with the rules and that a remedy was warranted based on fairness to the accused and efficient use of court resources.

The court rejected proceeding without Crown cross-examination as it would result in an incomplete record on the prejudice issue.

Instead, the court adjourned both the 11(b) motion and the scheduled trial dates without prejudice to the defence's right to renew the motion or seek other Charter remedies.

The appellant appealed a conviction for failing to remain at the scene of an accident contrary to s. 252(1) of the Criminal Code.

The conviction rested largely on circumstantial evidence including a licence plate number, general eyewitness descriptions, and a voluntary statement indicating the accused and his wife were the only drivers of the vehicle.

The appellant argued that the trial judge misapprehended the evidence, failed to address weaknesses in eyewitness identification, and failed to consider alternative explanations consistent with innocence.

The Summary Conviction Appeal Court held that the trial judge’s oral reasons were insufficient because they did not meaningfully address the defence arguments or explain the path to the verdict.

The conviction was set aside and a new trial ordered.