R. v. Sunshine (D.C.), (2014) 359 B.C.A.C. 295 (CA)

• Judge: Saunders, Garson and MacKenzie, JJ.A.
• Court: Court of Appeal (British Columbia)
• Case Date: March 07, 2014
• Jurisdiction: British Columbia
• Citations: (2014), 359 B.C.A.C. 295 (CA);2014 BCCA 318

R. v. Sunshine (D.C.) (2014), 359 B.C.A.C. 295 (CA);

    615 W.A.C. 295

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [2014] B.C.A.C. TBEd. AU.021

Regina (respondent) v. David Carl Sunshine (appellant)

(CA038036; 2014 BCCA 318)

Indexed As: R. v. Sunshine (D.C.)

British Columbia Court of Appeal

Saunders, Garson and MacKenzie, JJ.A.

August 8, 2014.

Summary:

The appellant was convicted by a jury of the second degree murder of the two and one-half year old daughter of his common law partner. The cause of the child's death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen. The judge also made findings of ongoing serious physical abuse of the child by the appellant.

The British Columbia Supreme Court, in a decision reported at [2010] B.C.T.C. Uned. 578, imposed a 15-year period of parole ineligibility. The appellant appealed his conviction.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal, in a decision reported at (2013), 335 B.C.A.C. 55; 573 W.A.C. 55, dismissed the conviction appeal. The appellant appealed from the 15-year period of parole ineligibility. The appellant was of aboriginal heritage. He argued that the trial judge erred in his application of s. 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code. The appellant said the judge's approach to that section was repudiated after sentence was imposed by the decision rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Ipeelee. The appellant applied to adduce as new evidence a more comprehensive Gladue report. The freshly tendered report contained extensive information on the appellant's cruel and chaotic upbringing, and more information on familial dysfunction. The appeal also raised the application of s. 718.01 of the Code in the context of an aboriginal offender, and engaged s. 718.2(a)(ii.1), which established abuse of a person under the age of 18 years as an aggravating circumstance in sentencing. Lastly, the appellant contended that the judge erred in failing to instruct jurors that they were required to be unanimous in making a parole ineligibility recommendation and in considering recommendations that were not unanimous.

The British Columbia Court of Appeal admitted the newly tendered report. The court dismissed the appeal.

Criminal Law - Topic 4323

Procedure - Jury - Unanimity or disagreement among jurors - See paragraphs 40 to 46.

Criminal Law - Topic 5670

Punishments (sentence) - Imprisonment and parole - Parole - Period of ineligibility (incl. jury recommendation) - See paragraphs 40 to 46.

Criminal Law - Topic 5831.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Offences involving breach of trust - See paragraphs 30 to 39.

Criminal Law - Topic 5831.7

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Accused abused as a child - See paragraphs 37 to 38, 63 to 69.

Criminal Law - Topic 5833.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Child abuse - See paragraphs 30 to 39.

Criminal Law - Topic 5834.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Seriousness of offence - See paragraphs 20 to 32.

Criminal Law - Topic 5846.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Aboriginal offenders - See paragraphs 20 to 32, 37 to 38, 52 to 69.

Criminal Law - Topic 5881

Sentence - Murder - See paragraphs 30 to 39, 50 to 69.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Ipeelee (M.), [2012] 1 S.C.R. 433; 428 N.R. 1; 288 O.A.C. 224; 318 B.C.A.C. 1; 541 W.A.C. 1; 2012 SCC 13, refd to. [paras. 3, 59].

R. v. Gladue (J.T.), [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688; 238 N.R. 1; 121 B.C.A.C. 161; 198 W.A.C. 161; 171 D.L.R.(4th) 385, refd to. [paras. 3, 60].

R. v. Belcourt (D.) (2011), 301 B.C.A.C. 158; 510 W.A.C. 158; 2011 BCCA 40, refd to. [para. 14].

R. v. Paul (D.J.) (2014), 352 B.C.A.C. 183; 601 W.A.C. 183; 112 W.C.B.(2d) 503; 2014 BCCA 81, refd to. [para. 14].

R. v. Johnson (D.K.) (1996), 84 B.C.A.C. 261; 137 W.A.C. 261; 112 C.C.C.(3d) 225 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 19].

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. 19].

R. v. Pelletier (M.T.) (2004), 196 B.C.A.C. 247; 322 W.A.C. 247; 186 C.C.C.(3d) 1; 2004 BCCA 264, refd to. [para. 20].

R. v. Wells (J.W.), [2000] 1 S.C.R. 207; 250 N.R. 364; 250 A.R. 273; 213 W.A.C. 273; 2000 SCC 10, refd to. [para. 21].

R. v. Fontaine (T.J.) (2014), 348 B.C.A.C. 305; 595 W.A.C. 305; 2014 BCCA 1, refd to. [para. 26].

R. v. Cerra (S.P.) (2004), 206 B.C.A.C. 168; 338 W.A.C. 168; 192 C.C.C.(3d) 78; 2004 BCCA 594, refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. Hoang (H.Q.) (2002), 171 B.C.A.C. 245; 280 W.A.C. 245; 167 C.C.C.(3d) 218; 2002 BCCA 430, refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. Van Osselaer (P.) (2004), 190 B.C.A.C. 313; 311 W.A.C. 313; 181 C.C.C.(3d) 322; 2004 BCCA 3, refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. Courtereille (S.F.) (2001), 154 B.C.A.C. 190; 252 W.A.C. 190; 49 W.C.B.(2d) 542; 2001 BCCA 254, refd to. [para. 27].

R. v. R.M.D. (2014), 351 B.C.A.C. 313; 599 W.A.C. 313; 112 W.C.B.(2d) 5; 2014 BCCA 56, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. C.G.O. (2012), 318 B.C.A.C. 273; 541 W.A.C. 273; 2012 BCCA 129, refd to. [para. 35].

R. v. Osei-Agyemang (R.) (2011), 493 A.R. 363; 502 W.A.C. 363; 267 C.C.C.(3d) 298; 2011 ABCA 2, refd to. [para. 40].

R. v. Cruz (C.A.) (1998), 106 B.C.A.C. 184; 172 W.A.C. 184; 124 C.C.C.(3d) 157; 52 B.C.L.R.(3d) 370 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 41].

R. v. Ameeriar (1990), 60 C.C.C.(3d) 431; 10 W.C.B.(2d) 640 (Que. C.A.), refd to. [para. 41].

R. v. Hanscom (D.A.) (1996), 172 N.B.R.(2d) 29; 439 A.P.R. 29 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Okkuatsiak (L.H.) (1993), 105 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 85; 331 A.P.R. 85; 80 C.C.C.(3d) 251 (Nfld. C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Brenn, [1989] O.J. No. 2172 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

R. v. Bell (T.D.) (2013), 344 B.C.A.C. 237; 587 W.A.C. 237; 2013 BCCA 463, refd to. [para. 43].

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, refd to. [para. 50].

R. v. Cooke (K.P.) (2013), 347 B.C.A.C. 133; 593 W.A.C. 133; 2013 BCCA 536, refd to. [para. 60].

Statutes Noticed:

Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, sect. 718.1, sect. 718.2(a)(ii.1) [para. 4]; sect. 718.2(e) [para. 2]; sect. 745.2 [para. 5].

Authors and Works Noticed:

Ferguson, Gerry, Dambrot, Michael, and Bennett, Elizabeth, CRIMJI: Canadian Criminal Jury Instructions (4th Ed.) (2005 Looseleaf), p. 10.03 [para. 42].

Watt, David, Manual of Criminal Jury Instructions (2005), p. 503-A [para. 42].

Counsel:

M. Rankin and R. Diab, for the appellant;

E. Poll and M. Ainslie, Q.C., for the respondent.

This appeal was heard on March 7, 2014, at Vancouver, B.C., before Saunders, Garson and MacKenzie, JJ.A., of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. The judgment of the Court of Appeal was delivered on August 8, 2014, including the following opinions:

Saunders, J.A. (MacKenzie, J.A., concurring) - see paragraphs 1 to 47;

Garson, J.A. - see paragraphs 48 to 70.