R. v. F.Y.K.O., (2015) 368 B.C.A.C. 157 (CA)

• Judge: Newbury, Groberman and Willcock, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: December 05, 2014
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: (2015), 368 B.C.A.C. 157 (CA);2015 BCCA 88

R. v. F.Y.K.O. (2015), 368 B.C.A.C. 157 (CA);

    633 W.A.C. 157

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2015] B.C.A.C. TBEd. MR.018

Regina (respondent) v. F.Y.K.O. (appellant)

(CA041296; 2015 BCCA 88)

Indexed As: R. v. F.Y.K.O.

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Newbury, Groberman and Willcock, JJ.A.

March 3, 2015.

Summary:

The accused was convicted of offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act arising out of the employment of a non-Canadian nanny. The accused appealed, arguing, inter alia, that the trial judge erred in admitting opinion evidence of an expert in the field of "victimology".

The British Columbia Court of Appeal allowed the appeal. The expert was not qualified to give the opinion adduced. The expert's qualifications as a victimologist were not tested or examined. Objections to the admissibility of his opinion were very limited. For that reason there was insufficient evidence to substantiate his qualification and little evidence with which to weigh the probative value of his opinion. The court stated that the expert should not have been permitted to express an opinion on the motives of a person in the complainant's position for not making earlier disclosure of her alleged exploitation and abuse. Further, because of the manner in which the evidence was adduced, by reliance upon the detailed hypothetical fact pattern, there was a risk it would run afoul of the exclusionary rule against oath-helping that ought to have been considered in weighing its admissibility. Even if the expert's evidence had met the threshold criteria for admission, there was insufficient evidence upon which to afford it sufficient probative value to justify its admission. In the result, the court set aside the conviction and ordered a new trial.

Editor's Note: This case is subject to an indefinite publication ban imposed under s. 486.5 of the Criminal Code, restricting publication of evidence that could identify the victim and witnesses.

Aliens - Topic 5072

Offences - Illegal entry - Misrepresentation of material fact - See paragraphs 90 to 96.

Evidence - Topic 7000.4

Opinion evidence - Expert evidence - General - Admissibility - General - See paragraphs 61 to 69.

Evidence - Topic 7001

Opinion evidence - Expert evidence - General - Qualifications and declaration that a witness is an expert - See paragraphs 61 to 88.

Evidence - Topic 7002

Opinion evidence - Expert evidence - General - Acceptance, rejection and weight to be given to expert opinion - See paragraphs 70 to 88.

Evidence - Topic 7059

Opinion evidence - Expert evidence - Particular matters - Behavioural sciences (incl. social science evidence) - See paragraphs 66 to 69.

Evidence - Topic 7157

Opinion evidence - Prohibited opinions - Re credibility of witnesses - See paragraphs 66 to 88.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Mohan, [1994] 2 S.C.R. 9; 166 N.R. 245; 71 O.A.C. 241, refd to. [para. 25].

R. v. Abbey (W.N.) (2009), 254 O.A.C. 9; 2009 ONCA 624, refd to. [para. 48].

R. v. Aitken (D.C.M.) (2012), 319 B.C.A.C. 125; 542 W.A.C. 125; 2012 BCCA 134, refd to. [para. 48].

R. v. C.P. (1992), 18 B.C.A.C. 209; 31 W.A.C. 209; 74 C.C.C.(3d) 481 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 51].

R. v. Trochym (S.J.), [2007] 1 S.C.R. 239; 357 N.R. 201; 221 O.A.C. 281; 2007 SCC 6, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. Sekhon (A.S.), [2014] 1 S.C.R. 272; 454 N.R. 41; 351 B.C.A.C. 1; 599 W.A.C. 1; 2014 SCC 15, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. Osmar (T.) (2007), 220 O.A.C. 186; 2007 ONCA 50, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. M.C. (2014), 325 O.A.C. 1; 2014 ONCA 611, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. Pearce (M.L.) (2014), 310 Man.R.(2d) 14; 618 W.A.C. 14; 2014 MBCA 70, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. Bonisteel (R.) (2008), 259 B.C.A.C. 114; 436 W.A.C. 114; 2008 BCCA 344, refd to. [para. 62].

R. v. Marquard (D.), [1993] 4 S.C.R. 223; 159 N.R. 81; 66 O.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 66].

R. v. Lavallee, [1990] 1 S.C.R. 852; 108 N.R. 321; 67 Man.R.(2d) 1, refd to. [para. 66].

R. v. McIntosh (O.) and McCarthy (P.) (1997), 102 O.A.C. 210; 117 C.C.C.(3d) 385 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 67].

R. v. J.-L.J., [2000] 2 S.C.R. 600; 261 N.R. 111, refd to. [para. 72].

R. v. D.D., [2000] 2 S.C.R. 275; 259 N.R. 156; 136 O.A.C. 201; 2000 SCC 43, refd to. [para. 73].

R. v. McPherson (K.E.), [2011] O.T.C. Uned. 7717; 2011 ONSC 7717, refd to. [para. 75].

R. v. Woodard (J.) (2009), 240 Man.R.(2d) 24; 456 W.A.C. 24; 2009 MBCA 42, refd to. [para. 76].

Daubert, William v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc. (1993), 113 S.Ct. Rep. 2786 (S.C.), refd to. [para. 78].

R. v. Rose (V.) (1997), 100 O.A.C. 67 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 81].

R. v. Ng, [2007] B.C.J. No. 1388 (Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 81].

R. v. Beals (M.D.) (1994), 136 N.S.R.(2d) 321; 388 A.P.R. 321 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 81].

Jaber v. Canada (Ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l'Immigration), [2000] 1 F.C.R. 603; 250 N.R. 235 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 94].

Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Hundal (1996), 206 N.R. 184; 36 Imm. L.R.(2d) 153 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 94].

Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v. Seneca (1999), 247 N.R. 397 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 94].

R. v. W.H. (2013), 442 N.R. 200; 335 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 1; 1040 A.P.R. 1; 2013 SCC 22, refd to. [para. 97].

R. v. McLaughlin (1974), 15 C.C.C.(2d) 562 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 98].

R. v. Pittiman (R.), [2006] 1 S.C.R. 381; 346 N.R. 65; 209 O.A.C. 388; 2006 SCC 9, refd to. [para. 98].

R. v. Tse (Y.F.A.) et al. (2013), 336 B.C.A.C. 164; 574 W.A.C. 164; 2013 BCCA 125, refd to. [para. 98].

R. v. Nguyen - see R. v. Tse (Y.F.A.).

Counsel:

T.E. La Liberté, Q.C., and K.B. Cronin, for the appellant;

T.C. Gerhart, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard in Vancouver, B.C., on December 5, 2014, before Newbury, Groberman and Willcock, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The decision of the court was delivered by Willcock, J.A., on March 3, 2015.