R. v. Stuckless (G.)

• Jurisdiction: Ontario
• Court: Court of Appeal (Ontario)
• Judge: Abella, Austin and Borins, JJ.A.
• Citation: (1998), 111 O.A.C. 357 (CA),1998 CanLII 7143 (NS CA),1998 CanLII 7143 (ON CA),41 OR (3d) 103,127 CCC (3d) 225,17 CR (5th) 330,[1998] OJ No 3177 (QL),111 OAC 357,39 WCB (2d) 309
• Date: 10 August 1998

R. v. Stuckless (G.) (1998), 111 O.A.C. 357 (CA)

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1998] O.A.C. TBEd. AU.010

Her Majesty The Queen (applicant/appellant) v. Gordon Stuckless (respondent)

(C28532)

Indexed As: R. v. Stuckless (G.)

Ontario Court of Appeal

Abella, Austin and Borins, JJ.A.

August 10, 1998.

Summary:

The accused pleaded guilty to 24 counts of indecent and sexual assault relating to an almost 20 year history of assaulting young boys. His total sentence was two years less a day followed by three years' probation. The Crown appealed the sentence.

The Ontario Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and increased the sentence to five years.

Criminal Law - Topic 5832

Sentencing - Considerations - Rehabilita­tion - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5932 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5833

Sentencing - Considerations - Deterrence - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5932 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5833

Sentencing - Considerations - Deterrence - The Ontario Court of Appeal stated that there is no basis for concluding that gen­eral deterrence has, or ought to have, a reduced role in the sentencing of pedo­philes - See paragraph 54.

Criminal Law - Topic 5848.9

Sentencing - Considerations - Sexual of­fences against children - [See Criminal Law - Topic 5932 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5848.9

Sentencing - Considerations - Sexual of­fences against children - The Ontario Court of Appeal stated that the absence of pene­tration does not automatically relegate the sexual abuse of children to the "lower range" of sexual offences - See paragraph 42.

Criminal Law - Topic 5856

Sentence - Indecent assault - [See Crimi­nal Law - Topic 5932 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5932

Sentence - Sexual assault - The accused pleaded guilty to 24 counts of indecent and sexual assault involving young boys over a 20 year period - Hundreds of incidents involving masturbation, oral sex, fondling etc. - No sexual penetration - He befriended the boys and their parents to gain their trust - Accused worked at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto as an assistant equipment manager, in a public schools as a teacher's assistant and was a volunteer hockey and lacrosse coach - The accused, age 48 at sentencing, received two years less a day plus probation - The Crown appealed - The Ontario Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and increased the sen­tence to five years - The sentencing judge erred in concluding that the crimes war­ranted sentences towards the lower middle end of the range - The judge erred in over emphasizing rehabilitation and in conclud­ing that general deterrence was irrelevant in pedophile cases - See para­graphs 1 to 64.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Garcia and Silva, [1970] 3 C.C.C. 124 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 7].

R. v. Jewell (E.T.) and Gramlick (G.) (1995), 83 O.A.C. 81 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. B. (1990), 36 O.A.C. 307 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 26].

R. v. D. (1971), 5 C.C.C.(2d) 366 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. Robertson (1979), 46 C.C.C.(2d) 573 (C.A.), refd to. [paras. 27, 71].

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, refd to. [para. 33].

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. 33].

R. v. Pepin (1990), 98 N.S.R.(2d) 238; 263 A.P.R. 238 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 36].

R. v. Henein (1980), 53 C.C.C.(2d) 257 (Ont. C.A.), refd to. [paras. 37, 71].

R. v. G.M. (1992), 58 O.A.C. 390; 77 C.C.C.(3d) 310 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Peterson (B.) (1996), 89 O.A.C. 60; 106 C.C.C.(3d) 64 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Chadbourne (C.D.), [1996] O.J. No. 2591 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Kenny (D.) (1994), 126 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 199; 393 A.P.R. 199 (Nfld. C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Ralph (1993), 105 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 220; 331 A.P.R. 220 (Nfld. C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Cooper (I.) (1994), 39 B.C.A.C. 227; 64 W.A.C. 227 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. F.S.A. (1996), 182 N.B.R.(2d) 20; 463 A.P.R. 20; 109 C.C.C.(3d) 427 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Monaghan, [1988] B.C.J. No. 2582 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Bennett, [1986] B.C.J. No. 645 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Cadden, [1989] B.C.J. No. 1573 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 45].

R. v. Clubb (1984), 20 O.A.C. 157 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Cambill (1983), 1 O.A.C. 139 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Nye (1988), 27 O.A.C. 136; 43 C.C.C.(3d) 180 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Veysey (1989), 34 O.A.C. 73 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Harrison (W.) (1993), 65 O.A.C. 300; 84 C.C.C.(3d) 465 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

R. v. Biancofiore (N.F.) (1997), 103 O.A.C. 292; 119 C.C.C.(3d) 344 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 51].

Counsel:

Jamie C. Klukach, for the appellant;

Michael Lomer and John Scarfe, for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on June 25, 1998, before Abella, Austin and Borins, JJ.A., of the Ontario Court of Appeal.

On August 10, 1998, the judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered and the following opinions were filed:

Abella, J.A. (Borins, J.A., concurring) - see paragraphs 1 to 64;

Austin, J.A. - see paragraphs 65 to 83.