R. v. King (V.A.), 2013 ABCA 3

• Judge: Côté, Martin and Watson, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (Alberta)
• Case Date: January 04, 2013
• Citations: 2013 ABCA 3;(2013), 542 A.R. 43

R. v. King (V.A.) (2013), 542 A.R. 43; 566 W.A.C. 43 (CA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2013] A.R. TBEd. JA.031

Her Majesty the Queen (respondent) v. Vernon Anthony King (appellant)

(1203-0117-A; 2013 ABCA 3)

Indexed As: R. v. King (V.A.)

Alberta Court of Appeal

Côté, Martin and Watson, JJ.A.

January 4, 2013.

Summary:

The accused was convicted of sexual assault, sexual touching of a female under age 16 and inviting sexual touching.

The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, in a judgment reported [2012] A.R. Uned. 324, sentenced the accused to concurrent sentences of three years' imprisonment. The accused appealed.

The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.

Criminal Law - Topic 5801.1

Sentencing - General - Proportionality - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5950 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5846.5

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Sentence precedents (incl. starting point principle and sentencing ranges) - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5950 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5848.9

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Sexual offences against children - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5950 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5932

Sentence - Sexual assault - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5950 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5950

Sentence - Sexual interference with young person - In 2008, the 43 year old accused had a 4.5 month sexual relationship with a 15 year old girl - He knew her age - The accused befriended the girl and her mother by misrepresenting that he had been a youth pastor - He told the girl he intended to marry her when she turned 18 - He did not tell her that he was married and separated from his wife, two children and a step-child, who lived in Toronto - The accused was convicted of sexual assault, sexual touching, and inviting sexual touching, for which he was sentenced to concurrent sentences of three years' imprisonment - The sentencing judge applied the Sandercock starting point sentence of three years' imprisonment for a major sexual assault - The accused appealed, arguing that the sentence was disproportionate to the gravity of the offences where there was no luring, no trust relationship, no manipulation or stalking, no violence, no prior record, no unprotected sexual intercourse and where the girl was just under age 16 - For the same reasons, the accused argued that Sandercock did not apply - The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed the sentence appeal - Assuming that the judge applied Sandercock, such error would not justify appellate intervention - The court held that the absence of various aggravating factors did not mean that they were mitigating factors (eg., no evidence of harm, no violence, use of condom, etc.) - The accused was indifferent to the result of his actions - The sentence imposed was not "unduly severe to the point of disproportionality or disparate from a discernible range of sentence".

Criminal Law - Topic 5963

Sentence - Inviting sexual touching - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5950 ].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Pritchard (T.) (2005), 371 A.R. 27; 354 W.A.C. 27; 2005 ABCA 240, dist. [para. 7].

R. v. Feng (C.J.) (2011), 505 A.R. 229; 522 W.A.C. 229; 2011 ABCA 172, dist. [para. 7].

R. v. Bjornson (B.J.) (2012), 536 A.R. 1; 559 W.A.C. 1; 2012 ABCA 230, dist. [para. 7].

R. v. J.L.M.A. (2010), 499 A.R. 1; 514 W.A.C. 1; 2010 ABCA 363, refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Arcand - see R. v. J.L.M.A.

R. v. W.B.S.; R. v. M.P. (1992), 127 A.R. 65; 20 W.A.C. 65; 75 C.C.C.(3d) 530 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Sandercock (1985), 62 A.R. 382; 22 C.C.C.(3d) 79 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 10].

R. v. Spence (S.A.), [2005] 3 S.C.R. 458; 342 N.R. 126; 206 O.A.C. 150; 2005 SCC 71, refd to. [para. 14].

PHS Community Services Society et al. v. Canada (Attorney General), [2011] 3 S.C.R. 134; 421 N.R. 1; 310 B.C.A.C. 1; 526 W.A.C. 1; 2011 SCC 44, refd to. [para. 15].

Bedford et al. v. Canada (Attorney General) et al. (2012), 290 O.A.C. 236; 282 C.C.C.(3d) 1; 2012 ONCA 186, leave to appeal granted (2012), 440 N.R. 399 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 15].

Lameman et al. v. Canada (Attorney General) (2006), 380 A.R. 306; 363 W.A.C. 306; 2006 ABCA 43, refd to. [para. 17].

Langan v. Watson et al. (2007), 404 A.R. 98; 394 W.A.C. 98; 2007 ABCA 94, refd to. [para. 17].

Peavine Métis Settlement et al. v. Alberta (Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development) et al. (2008), 425 A.R. 1; 418 W.A.C. 1; 2008 ABCA 83, refd to. [para. 17].

Cunningham v. Alberta (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development) - see Peavine Métis Settlement et al. v. Alberta (Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development) et al.

R. v. Morrisey (M.L.) (No. 2), [2000] 2 S.C.R. 90; 259 N.R. 95; 187 N.S.R.(2d) 1; 585 A.P.R. 1; 2000 SCC 39, refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. Ferguson (M.E.) (2006), 397 A.R. 1; 384 W.A.C. 1; 2006 ABCA 261, affd. [2008] 1 S.C.R. 96; 371 N.R. 231; 425 A.R. 79; 418 W.A.C. 79; 2008 SCC 6, refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. Hammond (C.M.) (2009), 469 A.R. 317; 470 W.A.C. 317; 249 C.C.C.(3d) 340; 2009 ABCA 415, refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. Serdyuk (O.S.) (2012), 533 A.R. 199; 557 W.A.C. 199; 2012 ABCA 205, refd to. [para. 20].

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; 105 C.C.C.(3d) 327, refd to. [para. 25].

R. v. Nasogaluak (L.M.), [2010] 1 S.C.R. 206; 398 N.R. 107; 474 A.R. 88; 479 W.A.C. 88, refd to. [para. 25].

R. v. Fones (D.R.) (2012), 288 Man.R.(2d) 86; 564 W.A.C. 86; 2012 MBCA 110, refd to. [para. 32].

R. v. Audet (Y.), [1996] 2 S.C.R. 171; 197 N.R. 172; 175 N.B.R.(2d) 81; 446 A.P.R. 81, refd to. [para. 32].

Counsel:

J.B. Dartana, for the respondent;

D.R. Hatch, for the appellant.

This appeal was heard on December 11, 2012, before Côté, Martin and Watson, JJ.A., of the Alberta Court of Appeal.

On January 4, 2013, the following memorandum of judgment was delivered by the Court.