S. Robichaud

The accused was charged with three counts of sexual offences against his two stepdaughters.

The allegations spanned several years and involved both touching and intercourse.

The accused testified and emphatically denied the allegations, providing a detailed and credible account of events.

Applying the W.(D.) framework, the court accepted the accused's exculpatory evidence under the first prong, finding him entirely credible.

The court also found that even if the accused's evidence was not fully accepted, it raised a reasonable doubt under the second prong, and the frailties in the Crown's evidence raised a reasonable doubt under the third prong.

The accused was acquitted on all counts.

The accused, charged with second degree murder following a vehicular confrontation with a pedestrian, applied for release on bail pending trial.

The Crown conceded that the accused met his onus on the primary, secondary, and tertiary grounds for detention.

The court granted the application and ordered the accused's release on a $200,000 recognizance with strict conditions, including house arrest and supervision by named sureties, to maintain public confidence in the administration of justice.

The offender was found guilty by a jury of importing heroin and conspiracy to import heroin.

The sentencing judge determined that the offender was a joint principal and organizer of a sophisticated international drug smuggling operation involving multiple importations from Africa to Canada and the United States.

The court rejected the argument that the offender's tragic personal history as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide warranted a departure from the usual sentencing range, as there was no link between her history and the offences.

The offender was sentenced to a total of 15 years in custody, less pre-sentence credit, along with mandatory weapons prohibition and DNA orders.

The young person applicant, charged with first degree murder alongside three co-accused, applied for a directed verdict on the basis of insufficient evidence.

The Crown relied on circumstantial evidence, including text messages, video surveillance, and the applicant's flight from the scene, to establish the applicant's participation in a planned and deliberate murder.

The court dismissed the application, finding that there was sufficient evidence upon which a properly instructed jury, acting reasonably, could return a verdict of guilty.

Four young persons were charged with the first-degree murder of a sixteen-year-old victim who was shot and killed in a residential building staircase.

The Crown alleged that the accused lured the victim into the staircase as part of a planned and deliberate execution, relying heavily on surveillance video and extensive text message evidence containing gang slang.

The court found three of the accused guilty as joint principals or aiders, concluding they orchestrated and executed the plan.

The fourth accused was found not guilty, as the evidence raised suspicions but failed to prove his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.