R. v. Balla (B.J.), (2014) 597 A.R. 198 (QB)

• Judge: Yamauchi, J.
• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta (Canada)
• Case Date: June 04, 2014
• Citations: (2014), 597 A.R. 198 (QB);2014 ABQB 600

R. v. Balla (B.J.) (2014), 597 A.R. 198 (QB)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2014] A.R. TBEd. NO.036

Her Majesty the Queen (Crown) v. Byran James Balla (accused)

(110572195Q1; 2014 ABQB 600)

Indexed As: R. v. Balla (B.J.)

Alberta Court of Queen's Bench

Judicial District of Calgary

Yamauchi, J.

October 1, 2014.

Summary:

The accused was charged with numerous offences involving drugs and guns. On the first day of trial, the accused applied for Charter relief, alleging that members of the Calgary Police Service breached his rights under ss. 7, 8 and 9 of the Charter either when he was arrested or in executing a search warrant at his residence.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, in a decision reported 583 A.R. 79, dismissed the accused's application. There was no breach of the accused's Charter rights. The matter proceeded to trial.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench convicted the accused of numerous counts in the indictment.

Criminal Law - Topic 5320.2

Evidence and witnesses - Inferences - From circumstantial evidence - The accused was charged with numerous offences involving drugs and guns - Many of the charges arose from contraband that was found in a residence which he shared with a friend, a brief case found in the trunk of a car often driven by the accused, and in the accused's mouth - The accused claimed the drugs belonged to the friend - The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench reviewed the principles applicable in determining what inferences the court could draw from circumstantial evidence in this type of case - The court held that the evidence here supported a finding that the accused and the friend had joint possession of the drugs - The only reasonable inference that the court could draw from the totality of the circumstances was that the accused possessed (for the purpose of trafficking) the cocaine found in his bedroom, in the suitcase in the trunk of the car and in his mouth - Even if the briefcase and drugs belonged exclusively to the friend, the court found that the accused aided the friend to commit an offence.

Evidence - Topic 217

Inferences and weight of evidence - Inferences - Inference of fact - General - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5320.2 ].

Narcotic Control - Topic 606

Offences - Possession - Evidence - Circumstantial evidence - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5320.2 ].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Lifchus (W.), [1997] 3 S.C.R. 320; 216 N.R. 215; 118 Man.R.(2d) 218; 149 W.A.C. 218; 9 C.R.(5th) 1; 118 C.C.C.(3d) 1, refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Latif (M.A.), 2004 CarswellOnt 6494 (Sup. Ct.), affd. [2005] O.A.C. Uned. 342; 66 W.C.B.(2d) 327 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Mullings, 2005 CarswellOnt 3022 (Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Munoz (L.), [2006] O.T.C. 112; 86 O.R.(3d) 134; 205 C.C.C.(3d) 70 (Sup. Ct.), refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Paul, [1977] 1 S.C.R. 181; 4 N.R. 435; 27 C.C.C.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. Richer (R.J.) (1993), 141 A.R. 116; 46 W.A.C. 116; 82 C.C.C.(3d) 385 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. McIver, [1965] 1 O.R. 306; [1965] 1 C.C.C. 210 (H.C.), affd. [1965] 2 O.R. 475; [1965] 4 C.C.C. 182 (C.A.), affd. [1966] S.C.R. 254, refd to. [para. 38].

United States of America v. Huynh (2005), 202 O.A.C. 198; 200 C.C.C.(3d) 305; 66 W.C.B.(2d) 680 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 38].

R. v. Griffin (J.) et al., [2009] 2 S.C.R. 42; 388 N.R. 334; 2009 SCC 28, refd to. [para. 39].

R. v. Cooper, [1978] 1 S.C.R. 860; 14 N.R. 181; 74 D.L.R.(3d) 731, refd to. [para. 39].

R. v. Qureshi (I.A.) et al. (2011), 508 A.R. 128; 2011 ABPC 92, refd to. [para. 39].

R. v. Chin (Y.H.) (2014), 566 A.R. 288; 597 W.A.C. 288; 306 C.C.C.(3d) 393; 2014 ABCA 11, refd to. [para. 40].

R. v. Nicol (J.F.) et al. (2006), 229 B.C.A.C. 280; 379 W.A.C. 280; 211 C.C.C.(3d) 33; 2006 BCCA 370, refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Patrick (1975), 11 N.B.R.(2d) 451; 7 A.P.R. 451 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 43].

R. v. Haggarty, [1947] 1 W.W.R. 277; 88 C.C.C. 255 (B.C.C.A.), refd to. [para. 44].

R. v. U.P.M., [2010] 1 S.C.R. 253; 399 N.R. 200; 346 Sask.R. 1; 477 W.A.C. 1; 2010 SCC 8, refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Pham (K.T.) (2005), 204 O.A.C. 299; 77 O.R.(3d) 401; 203 C.C.C.(3d) 326 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 46].

R. v. Colvin, [1942] 3 W.W.R. 465; 1942 CarswellBC 59 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Piaskoski (1979), 52 C.C.C.(2d) 316; 1979 CarswellOnt 1349 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 48].

R. v. Lou Hay Hung, [1946] O.R. 187; 85 C.C.C. 308 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 48].

R. v. Smith (C.J.) (2012), 396 N.B.R.(2d) 367; 1024 A.P.R. 367; 2012 NBCA 99, refd to. [para. 49].

R. v. Sparling, [1988] O.J. No. 107 (H.C.), affd. (1988), 31 O.A.C. 244 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 50].

R. v. Marcellus (S.D.), [2012] A.R. Uned. 256; 100 W.C.B.(2d) 686; 2012 ABPC 85, refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Grey (E.) (1996), 89 O.A.C. 394; 28 O.R.(3d) 417; 47 C.R.(4th) 40 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Lincoln (R.), [2012] O.A.C. Uned. 435; 106 W.C.B.(2d) 58; 2012 ONCA 542, refd to. [para. 52].

R. v. Caldwell (R.M.), [2001] B.C.T.C. 1313; 51 W.C.B.(2d) 121; 2001 BCSC 1313, refd to. [para. 53].

R. v. Young (B.R.), [2006] A.R. Uned. 122; 2006 ABPC 36, refd to. [para. 54].

R. v. Szczerba (K.M.), 2002 CarswellAlta 1927 (Q.B.), affd. (2004), 354 A.R. 10; 329 W.A.C. 10; 2004 ABCA 189, refd to. [para. 60].

R. v. Wong (T.), [2004] 3 W.W.R. 137; 344 A.R. 310; 2003 ABPC 110, refd to. [para. 60].

R. v. Audy (1977), 40 C.C.C.(2d) 188 (Que. C.A.), refd to. [para. 71].

R. v. Nguyen (B.H.) (2003), 188 B.C.A.C. 218; 308 W.A.C. 218; 180 C.C.C.(3d) 347; 18 C.R.(6th) 371; 2003 BCCA 556, refd to. [para. 72].

R. v. Bui (C.Q.) - see R. v. Nguyen (B.H.).

R. v. Herchuk (W.J.) et al., [2011] A.R. Uned. 766; 2011 ABPC 275, refd to. [para. 74].

R. v. McRae, [1967] 3 C.C.C. 122; 50 C.R. 325 (Sask. C.A.), refd to. [para. 74].

R. v. Suchan (1952) 15 C.R. 310; 1952 CarswellOnt 23 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 76].

R. v. Zanini, [1966] 1 O.R. 499; [1966] 2 C.C.C. 185 (C.A.), affd. [1967] S.C.R. 715; [1968] 2 C.C.C. 1, refd to. [para. 78].

R. v. Gowing, [1971] 1 W.W.R. 310; 2 C.C.C.(2d) 105 (Alta. C.A.), refd to. [para. 78].

R. v. Preston, [1949] S.C.R. 156; 93 C.C.C. 81, refd to. [para. 80].

R. v. Dunlop and Sylvester, [1979] 2 S.C.R. 881; 27 N.R. 153, refd to. [para. 81].

R. v. L.I.H. (2003), 177 Man.R.(2d) 178; 304 W.A.C. 178; 2003 MBCA 97, refd to. [para. 82].

R. v. Thatcher, [1987] 1 S.C.R. 652; 75 N.R. 198; 57 Sask.R. 113; 39 D.L.R.(4th) 275, refd to. [para. 82].

R. v. Dooley (E.A.) (2009), 257 O.A.C. 150; 2009 ONCA 910, refd to. [para. 83].

R. v. Briscoe (M.E.) et al., [2010] 1 S.C.R. 411; 400 N.R. 216; 477 A.R. 86; 483 W.A.C. 86; 253 C.C.C.(3d) 140; 2010 SCC 13, refd to. [para. 84].

R. v. Hibbert (L.), [1995] 2 S.C.R. 973; 184 N.R. 165; 84 O.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 85].

R. v. Keegstra (1991), 114 A.R. 288; 79 Alta. L.R.(2d) 97 (C.A.), leave to appeal refused (1991), 136 N.R. 418; 127 A.R. 390; 20 W.A.C. 390 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 85].

R. v. Greyeyes (E.R.), [1997] 2 S.C.R. 825; 214 N.R. 43; 152 Sask.R. 294; 140 W.A.C. 294; 116 C.C.C.(3d) 334, refd to. [para. 85].

R. v. Roan, Brown and Sande (1985), 57 A.R. 296; 17 C.C.C.(3d) 534 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 85].

R. v. Lepage (J.P.), [1995] 1 S.C.R. 654; 178 N.R. 81; 79 O.A.C. 191, refd to. [para. 86].

R. v. Murphy (A.), [2010] O.T.C. Uned. 109; 2010 ONSC 109, refd to. [para. 96].

R. v. Thompson, 2000 CarswellOnt 766 (C.J.), refd to. [para. 96].

R. v. Tulle (I.C.) (1989), 81 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 308; 255 A.P.R. 308 (P.E.I.C.A.), refd to. [para. 96].

R. v. Bibeau (1990), 1 C.R.(4th) 397; 61 C.C.C.(3d) 339 (Que. C.A.), refd to. [para. 99].

Counsel:

Max Kruger (Public Prosecution Service of Canada), for the Crown;

Richard Cairns, Q.C., for the accused.

This matter was heard on February 3 to 6 and June 4, 2014, by Yamauchi, J., of the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, Judicial District of Calgary, who delivered the following memorandum of decision on October 1, 2014.