R. v. Dicker (M.), (2013) 333 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 72 (NLPC)

• Judge: Joy, P.C.J.
• Court: Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court (Canada)
• Case Date: March 17, 2013
• Jurisdiction: Newfoundland and Labrador
• Citations: (2013), 333 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 72 (NLPC);2013 NLPC 1711

R. v. Dicker (M.) (2013), 333 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 72 (NLPC);

    1034 A.P.R. 72

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2013] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. TBEd. MR.040

Her Majesty the Queen v. Matthew Dicker

(2013 NLPC 1711A00370)

Indexed As: R. v. Dicker (M.)

Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court

Joy, P.C.J.

March 17, 2013.

Summary:

The accused was convicted of aggravated assault and breach of probation.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court sentenced the accused to six months' imprisonment for the aggravated assault and one month of consecutive imprisonment for the breach of probation. The court also imposed two years' probation, a DNA order and a 10 year firearms prohibition.

Criminal Law - Topic 5834.10

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Mental state - Effects of alcohol or drugs - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court, in determining a fit sentence for an accused, stated that "Some factors, such as alcohol addiction, have both positive and negative features. An alcoholic offender in a community where, for example, alcoholism is a major symptom of cultural and linguistic alienation, where more people are alcoholics than elsewhere, and where the individual and the community have made efforts to face this problem through treatment programs may receive some understanding from a sentencing judge. Alcoholism and voluntary drunkenness is, of course, not a defence to a criminal charge, and may indicate to the sentencing judge recklessness and disregard for the dignity and respect an offender owes to others in the community." - See paragraph 30.

Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Aboriginal offenders - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court reviewed the principles for sentencing aboriginal offenders - See paragraphs 31 to 111.

Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Aboriginal offenders - The accused, a 20 year old aboriginal, was convicted of aggravated assault and breach of probation - In his youth, he was falsely charged with sexually assaulting a group of six young girls - The accused and the victim had a history of arguments - On the day in question, the victim called the accused a child molester - The accused pushed his bicycle into the victim - They exchanged punches - The accused tried to flee - The victim chased after him and grabbed him by the head - The accused stabbed the victim in the left chest with an unidentified object - The victim was hospitalized for two weeks - The accused had 16 prior convictions for minor offences - Had a dysfunctional childhood - Dropped out of school in Grade 8 - Had one daughter - Separated from the daughter's mother - Despite limited employment experience, he had an offer of work from the Mushuau Innu First Nation - He wanted to finish school and become a hockey coach - Supported by his sister - Had applied for a treatment program - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court considered, inter alia, the Gladue principles and the mitigating factors of provocation and self-defence, and sentenced the accused to six months' imprisonment for the aggravated assault and one month consecutive for the breach of probation - The court gave the accused 99 days' credit for 66 days of pretrial custody, resulting in 101 days left to be served - The accused was entitled to 1.5:1 credit given the loss of remission time - No submission was made for mitigation based on oppressive, onerous, unfair or demeaning conditions or treatment, but if it had been a feature of the case there would have been strong arguments given the severe overcrowding at the Labrador Correctional Centre - The court also imposed two years' probation and ancillary orders - See paragraphs 154 to 265.

Criminal Law - Topic 5848

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Provocation - [See second Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5848.2

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Time already served (inc. bail) - [See second Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5848.2

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Time already served (inc. bail) - The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court agreed with the decision of R. v. Johnson (Ont. C.J.) that the additional credit for time already served beyond one day's credit for each day served was within the court's discretion - The threshold was reasonably low - Loss of remission and loss of parole eligibility were both categories which entitled a judge to grant increased credit for remand time - See paragraphs 196 to 236.

Criminal Law - Topic 5849.16

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Addicts - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5834.10 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5898

Sentence - Breach of probation - [See second Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5938

Sentence - Aggravated assault - [See second Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1 ].

Cases Noticed:

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R. v. Wells (J.W.), [2000] 1 S.C.R. 207; 250 N.R. 364; 250 A.R. 273; 213 W.A.C. 273; 2000 SCC 10, refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. Shropshire (M.T.), [1995] 4 S.C.R. 227; 188 N.R. 284; 65 B.C.A.C. 37; 106 W.A.C. 37; 1995 CanLII 47, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. C.A.M., [1996] 1 S.C.R. 500; 194 N.R. 321; 73 B.C.A.C. 81; 120 W.A.C. 81; 1996 CanLII 230, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. McDonnell (T.E.), [1997] 1 S.C.R. 948; 210 N.R. 241; 196 A.R. 321; 141 W.A.C. 321; 1997 CanLII 389, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. Stone (B.T.), [1999] 2 S.C.R. 290; 239 N.R. 201; 123 B.C.A.C. 1; 201 W.A.C. 1; 1999 CanLII 688, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. Proulx (J.K.D.), [2000] 1 S.C.R. 61; 249 N.R. 201; 142 Man.R.(2d) 161; 212 W.A.C. 161; 2000 SCC 5, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. J.M.H., [2011] 3 S.C.R. 197; 421 N.R. 76; 283 O.A.C. 379; 2011 SCC 45, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Carvery (L.A.) (2012), 321 N.S.R.(2d) 321; 1018 A.P.R. 321; 2012 NSCA 107, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Vermette, [1988] 1 S.C.R. 985; 85 N.R. 296; 14 Q.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. A.N. (2011), 300 N.S.R.(2d) 282; 950 A.P.R. 282; 2011 NSCA 21, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. LeBlanc (J.A.) (2011), 305 N.S.R.(2d) 188; 966 A.P.R. 188; 2011 NSCA 60, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Williams (V.D.), [1998] 1 S.C.R. 1128; 226 N.R. 162; 107 B.C.A.C. 1; 174 W.A.C. 1, refd to. [para. 60].

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R. v. King (K.J.), 2007 ONCJ 238, refd to. [para. 74].

R. v. Kumar (R.) (1993), 36 B.C.A.C. 81; 58 W.A.C. 81 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 74].

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R. v. Omilgoituk (H.) (2011), 316 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 15; 982 A.P.R. 15; 2011 NLCA 77, dist. [para 113].

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R. v. Lavorato, 1982 CarswellBC 1978 (C.A.), dist. [para. 140].

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R. v. J.B. (1984) 187 O.A.C. 307 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 213].

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R. v. McDonald (C.) (1998), 111 O.A.C. 25; 127 C.C.C.(3d) 57 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 220].

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R. v. McIntosh (B.B.), [1995] 1 S.C.R. 686; 178 N.R. 161; 79 O.A.C. 81, refd to. [para 227].

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Authors and Works Noticed:

Canada, Office of the Correctional Investigator, Spirit Matters: Aboriginal People and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (Oct. 22, 2012), generally [para. 94].

Canada, Office of the Correctional Investigator, Good Intentions, Disappoint Results: A Progress Report on Federal Aboriginal Corrections (Oct. 9, 2011), generally [para. 94].

Canada, Solicitor General, Consolidated Report, Towards a Just, Peaceful and Safe Society: The Corrections and Conditional Release Act - Five Years Later (1998), pp. 142 to 155 [para. 77].

Juristat Adult Correctional Services Statistics 2004-2005, Vol 26(5) [para. 76].

Mann, Michelle M., Good Intentions, Disappointing Results: A Progress Report on Federal Aboriginal Corrections, generally [para. 94].

Newfoundland and Labrador, Decades of Darkness: Moving Toward the Light - A Review of the Prison System in Newfoundland and Labrador, generally [paras. 238, 239, 244].

Roach, Kent, One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?: Gladue in the Court of Appeal (April 19, 2008), p. 1 [para. 76].

Roberts, Julian V., and Melchers, Ronald, The Incarceration of Aboriginal Offenders: Trends from 1978 to 2001 (2003), 45 Can. J. Crim. & Crim. Just. 211, generally [para. 94].

Rudin, Jonathan, Aboriginal Over-Representation and R. v. Gladue: Where We Were, Where We Are and Where We Might Be Going (2008), 40 Sup. Ct. L. Rev. 687, p. 701 [paras. 78, 94].

Rudin, Jonathan, Aboriginal Over-representation and R. v. Gladue: Where We Were, Where We Are and Where We Might Be Going, in Jamie Cameron and James Stribopoulos, The Charter and Criminal Justice: Twenty-Five Years Later (2008), p. 701 [para. 94].

Rudin, Jonathan, Addressing Aboriginal Overrepresentation Post-Gladue: A Realistic Assessment of How Social Change Occurs (2008-2009), 54 Crim. L.Q. 447, generally [para. 94].

Counsel:

John Noseworthy, for Her Majesty the Queen;

Paul Malone, for the accused.

This matter was heard at Natuashish, N.L., by Joy, P.C.J., of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court, who delivered the following judgment on March 17, 2013.