R. v. McKnight (R.), (1999) 119 O.A.C. 364 (CA)

• Judge: McMurtry, C.J.O., Laskin and O'Connor, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (Ontario)
• Case Date: February 09, 1999
• Jurisdiction: Ontario
• Citations: (1999), 119 O.A.C. 364 (CA);1999 CanLII 3717 (NS CA);1999 CanLII 3717 (ON CA);44 OR (3d) 263;135 CCC (3d) 41;[1999] OJ No 1321 (QL);119 OAC 364

R. v. McKnight (R.) (1999), 119 O.A.C. 364 (CA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1999] O.A.C. TBEd. AP.059

Her Majesty The Queen (respondent) v. Robert McKnight (applicant/appellant)

(C23383)

Indexed As: R. v. McKnight (R.)

Ontario Court of Appeal

McMurtry, C.J.O., Laskin and O'Connor, JJ.A.

April 23, 1999.

Summary:

The accused was convicted of the second degree murder of his wife. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 17 years. The accused applied for leave to appeal the period of parole ineligi­bility.

The Ontario Court of Appeal, McMurtry, C.J.O., dissenting, granted leave to appeal, allowed the appeal and reduced the period of parole ineligibility to 14 years.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibil­ity - The Ontario Court of Appeal reviewed the principles applicable in set­ting the period of parole ineligibility - See para­graphs 8 to 11.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibil­ity - The Ontario Court of Appeal stated that while the jury's recommendation must be considered in fixing the appropriate period of parole ineligibility, the recom­mendation need not be slavishly followed - See para­graph 55.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibil­ity - The accused was convicted of the second degree murder of his wife - He stabbed her repeatedly with a 10 inch serrated bread knife - Accused 52 years old - Married 20 years - He had both a law and medical degree - Deeply re­morseful - He was depressed and had a schizoid personality and hypochondriacal fears - The trial judge imposed a period of parole ineligibility of 17 years - The accused appealed, arguing that the trial judge overemphasized the importance of denunciation and diminished the accused's potential for rehabilitation, misapprehended the psychiatric evidence and failed to give enough weight to the miti­gating aspects of that evidence, and imposed a period of parole ineli­gibility that was outside an acceptable range - The Ontario Court of Appeal rejected the first two arguments, but held that the period of ineligibility was unreas­onable and reduced the period to 14 years.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670.4

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibil­ity - Reduction - [See third Criminal Law - Topic 5670 ].

Cases Noticed:

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; 102 C.C.C.(3d) 193; 129 D.L.R.(4th) 657; 43 C.R.(4th) 269, refd to. [paras. 9, 84, footnote 1].

R. v. Rezaie (M.) (1996), 96 O.A.C. 268; 112 C.C.C.(3d) 97 (C.A.), refd to. [paras. 35, 86, footnote 3].

Director of Investigation and Research Competition Act v. Southam Inc. et al., [1997] 1 S.C.R. 748; 209 N.R. 20, refd to. [para. 35, footnote 4].

Asbestos Corp. Société Nationale de l'Amiante and Québec (Province), Re (1999), 117 O.A.C. 224 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 35, footnote 4].

R. v. Brown (K.W.) (1993), 31 B.C.A.C. 59; 50 W.A.C. 59; 83 C.C.C.(3d) 394 (C.A.), refd to. [paras. 36, 89, footnote 5].

R. v. T.S.A., [1995] O.J. No. 535 (C.A.), leave to appeal refused (1995), 197 N.R. 400; 93 O.A.C. 77 (S.C.C.), refd to. [paras. 39, 95, footnote 6].

R. v. McMaster (P.) (1998), 106 O.A.C. 236; 122 C.C.C.(3d) 371 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 49, footnote 7].

R. v. Munroe (1995), 79 O.A.C. 41; 96 C.C.C.(3d) 431 (C.A.), affd. (1995), 189 N.R. 87; 86 O.A.C. 384; 102 C.C.C.(3d) 383 (S.C.C.), refd to. [para. 49, footnote 8].

R. v. Muir (F.) (1995), 80 O.A.C. 7 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 50, footnote 9].

R. v. McCormack (S.E.) (1995), 83 O.A.C. 73 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 51, footnote 10].

R. v. Barry, [1991] O.J. No. 2666 (Gen. Div.), affd. [1993] O.J. No. 3955 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 52, footnote 11].

R. v. Parmar (C.) (1997), 41 O.T.C. 104 (Gen. Div.), refd to. [para. 53, footnote 12].

R. v. Morrow, [1995] O.J. No. 4052 (Gen. Div.), refd to. [para. 53, footnote 13].

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. 84].

R. v. Lyons, [1987] 2 S.C.R. 309; 80 N.R. 161; 82 N.S.R.(2d) 271; 207 A.P.R. 271; 37 C.C.C.(3d) 1; 61 C.R.(3d) 1; 44 D.L.R.(4th) 193, refd to. [para. 92].

R. v. Ly and Duong (1992), 78 Man.R.(2d) 209; 16 W.A.C. 209; 72 C.C.C.(3d) 57 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 96].

R. v. MacDonnell (F.E.), [1997] 1 S.C.R. 305; 210 N.R. 318; 158 N.S.R.(2d) 1; 466 A.P.R. 1; 114 C.C.C.(3d) 436, refd to. [para. 114].

Statutes Noticed:

Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, sect. 745 [para. 83]; sect. 745.2 [paras. 8, 83]; sect. 745.4 [para. 83].

Counsel:

Edward L. Greenspan and Alison Wheeler, for the applicant/appellant;

Michal Fairburn, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on February 9, 1999, before McMurtry, C.J.O., Laskin and O'Connor, JJ.A., of the Ontario Court of Appeal. The judgment of the court was released on April 23, 1999, including the following opinions:

Laskin, J.A. (O'Connor, J.A., concur­ring) - see paragraphs 1 to 57;

McMurtry, C.J.O., dissenting - see para­graphs 58 to 121.