R. v. Sipos (J.P.), (2014) 460 N.R. 1 (SCC)

JudgeLeBel, Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner, JJ.
CourtSupreme Court (Canada)
Case DateJuly 10, 2014
JurisdictionCanada (Federal)
Citations(2014), 460 N.R. 1 (SCC);2014 SCC 47;[2014] 2 SCR 423;311 CCC (3d) 121

R. v. Sipos (J.P.) (2014), 460 N.R. 1 (SCC)

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

.........................

Temp. Cite: [2014] N.R. TBEd. JL.014

James Peter Sipos (appellant) v. Her Majesty The Queen (respondent) and Criminal Lawyers' Association (Ontario) (intervenor)

(35310; 2014 SCC 47; 2014 CSC 47)

Indexed As: R. v. Sipos (J.P.)

Supreme Court of Canada

LeBel, Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner, JJ.

July 10, 2014.

Summary:

In 1996, the accused was convicted of 12 offences (sexual assaults and assaults) against a former girlfriend and two former wives. The sentencing judge, in a judgment reported (1998), 54 O.T.C. 241, declared the accused to be a dangerous offender and sentenced him to indeterminate imprisonment. The accused appealed his convictions and appealed his dangerous offender designation only if his conviction appeal succeeded. In 2001, the conviction appeal was dismissed. The accused now applied to have the court re-open his sentence appeal and hear it on the merits.

The Ontario Court of Appeal, in a judgment reported (2008), 235 O.A.C. 277, held that since the sentence appeal was never heard and decided on the merits, the court had jurisdiction to re-open the appeal. In the circumstances of the case, it was in the interests of justice to re-open the appeal.

The Ontario Court of Appeal, in a judgment reported (2012), 298 O.A.C. 233, dismissed the sentence appeal. The accused appealed.

The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeal.

Criminal Law - Topic 5045

Appeals - Indictable offences - Dismissal of appeal if no prejudice, substantial wrong or miscarriage results - [See Criminal Law - Topic 6517 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 6201

Sentencing - Appeals - Variation of sentence - Powers of appeal court (incl. standard of review) - [See Criminal Law - Topic 6517 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 6218

Sentencing - Appeals - Variation of sentence - Evidence on appeal (incl. fresh evidence) - [See Criminal Law - Topic 6517 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 6516

Dangerous or long-term offenders - Detention (incl. common law preventive detention) - General - Appeals - Scope of - [See Criminal Law - Topic 6517 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 6517

Dangerous or long-term offenders - Detention - General - Appeals - Dismissal of - Where no miscarriage of justice - In 1996, the accused was convicted of sexual offences - In 1998, the sentencing judge found him to be a dangerous offender and imposed an indeterminate sentence - The judge erred by failing to consider the option of a long-term offender designation, as required by R. v. Johnson (SCC) - At the accused's 2012 appeal, the accused adduced new evidence (2010 risk assessment that the risk he posed to the community could be adequately addressed in the foreseeable future (by 2016) if he was returned to the community on strict conditions, and information respecting his performance in sexual offender programs while incarcerated) - The appeal had two facets: (1) an appeal for legal error impacting the judge's decision and (2) an appeal of the reasonableness of the designation - The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed the dismissal of the accused's appeal - An appeal based on legal error was limited to whether the original designation would have been the same but for the error - The proposed new evidence had "nothing to do with the possible impact of the legal error on the sentencing judge's decision ... [O]n the record before the sentencing judge, the only realistic option was a dangerous offender designation. There is no suggestion that the judge's failure to consider a long-term offender designation in any way affected the evidentiary record before him or that he might have weighed the evidence differently if he had considered the long-term offender option." - The curative provision did not permit a current re-assessment of dangerousness based on that error - "The focus is on the possible impact of the error on the sentencing judge's decision, not on the offender's current prospects for control in the community" - There was no role for the new evidence respecting the curative power on this appeal - As to the unreasonableness of the designation, the new evidence was insufficient to show that the judge's decision, even with the benefit of the new evidence, was unreasonable at the time the designation was made - The new evidence presented a "best case scenario" of the accused's potential release into the community 18 years after the designation was made - There was no reasonable possibility of the 1998 designation being different if the new evidence had been available at that time - See paragraphs 18 to 50.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Johnson (J.J.), [2003] 2 S.C.R. 357; 308 N.R. 333; 186 B.C.A.C. 161; 306 W.A.C. 161; 2003 SCC 46, refd to. [para. 10].

R. v. Currie (R.O.R.), [1997] 2 S.C.R. 260; 211 N.R. 321; 100 O.A.C. 161, refd to. [para. 23].

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, refd to. [para. 25].

R. v. Lévesque (R.), [2000] 2 S.C.R. 487; 260 N.R. 165; 2000 SCC 47, refd to. [para. 29].

R. v. Palmer, [1980] 1 S.C.R. 759; 30 N.R. 181, refd to. [para. 29].

R. v. Angelillo (G.), [2006] 2 S.C.R. 728; 355 N.R. 226; 2006 SCC 55, refd to. [para. 29].

R. v. Hamilton (M.A.) et al. (2004), 189 O.A.C. 90; 72 O.R.(3d) 1 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 30].

R. v. Smith (C.C.) (2005), 376 A.R. 389; 360 W.A.C. 389 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 30].

R. v. Riley (K.) (1996), 150 N.S.R.(2d) 390; 436 A.P.R. 390 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. Faid (1984), 52 A.R. 338 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. Jimmie (F.M.R.) (2009), 270 B.C.A.C. 301; 454 W.A.C. 301; 2009 BCCA 215, refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. S.H., [2012] O.A.C. Uned. 299; 2012 ONCA 351, refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. N.A.S. (2007), 220 Man.R.(2d) 43; 407 W.A.C. 43; 2007 MBCA 97, refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. Martin, 2012 QCCA 2223, refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. Williamson (W.T.) (2003), 191 B.C.A.C. 208; 314 W.A.C. 208; 2003 BCCA 673, refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. Ferguson (K.) (2005), 207 O.A.C. 380 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. B.J.M., [2007] O.A.C. Uned. 117; 2007 ONCA 221, refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. T.L., [2008] O.A.C. Uned. 540; 2008 ONCA 766, refd to. [para. 43].

R. v. Mason (J.) (2001), 147 O.A.C. 388 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 43].

R. v. Henry (K.R.) (2002), 174 B.C.A.C. 238; 286 W.A.C. 238; 2002 BCCA 575, refd to. [para. 43].

R. v. Armistead (R.R.) (2003), 192 B.C.A.C. 227; 315 W.A.C. 227; 2003 BCCA 699, refd to. [para. 43].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Ruby, Clayton C., Chan, Gerald J., and Hasan, Nader R., Sentencing (8th Ed. 2012), §§4.49ff [para. 31].

Counsel:

Michael Dineen and Jonathan Dawe, for the appellant;

Roger A. Pinnock, for the respondent;

Nader R. Hasan and Gerald Chan, for the intervenor.

Solicitors of Record:

Dawe & Dineen, Toronto, Ontario, for the appellant;

Attorney General of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, for the respondent;

Ruby Shiller Chan Hasan, Toronto, Ontario, for the intervenor.

This appeal was heard on April 15, 2014, before LeBel, Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner, JJ.A., of the Supreme Court of Canada.

On July 10, 2014, Cromwell, J., delivered the following judgment in both official languages for the Court.

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