R. v. Wiley (L.), (2009) 344 N.B.R.(2d) 244 (PC)

• Judge: Ferguson, P.C.J.
• Court: Provincial Court of New Brunswick (Canada)
• Case Date: October 07, 2008
• Jurisdiction: New Brunswick
• Citations: (2009), 344 N.B.R.(2d) 244 (PC);2009 NBPC 11

R. v. Wiley (L.) (2009), 344 N.B.R.(2d) 244 (PC);

    344 R.N.-B.(2e) 244; 884 A.P.R. 244

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[French language version follows English language version]

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

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Temp. Cite: [2009] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. MR.017

Renvoi temp.: [2009] N.B.R.(2d) TBEd. MR.017

Her Majesty the Queen v. Larissa Wiley

(13839813; 2009 NBPC 11; 2009 NBCP 11)

Indexed As: R. v. Wiley (L.)

Répertorié: R. v. Wiley (L.)

New Brunswick Provincial Court

Ferguson, P.C.J.

March 13, 2009.

Summary:

Résumé:

The 18 year old accused pleaded guilty to the indictable offence of theft under $5,000. She was an Oxycontin addicted first offender who, over a three month period, stole $4,999 from her employer Tim Horton's while working as a counter clerk. The case fell within that particular category of breaches of trust decreed by the Court of Appeal as requiring, absent proof of exceptional circumstances, that offenders serve a sentence of at least six months in real jail.

The New Brunswick Provincial Court held that this was such an exceptional case. The court sentenced the accused to six months' imprisonment in the community under house arrest, to be followed by two years' supervised probation.

Criminal Law - Topic 5720.3

Punishments (sentence) - Conditional sentence - Considerations - [See both Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4

Punishments (sentence) - Conditional sentence - When available or appropriate - The New Brunswick Provincial Court stated that in two 2005 decisions related to employee thefts (R. v. Steeves and R. v. Chaulk), the Court of Appeal gave clear direction to sentencing judges that, absent "exceptional circumstances", the appropriate sentence for those who stole even small amounts from their employer was imprisonment in real jail - However, the court noted that nowhere in those judgments did the Court of Appeal delineate in detail what "exceptional circumstances" were - The court reviewed subsequent sentencing cases dealing with thefts in breach of trust circumstances - The court concluded that general deterrence and denunciation took pre-eminence amongst the sentencing factors to be considered - As well, it appeared from Chaulk that youth, by itself, was not an "exceptional circumstance" sufficient to dispense of the start point presumptive sentence of six months in real jail - Nor was the fact that an offender was a first offender - See paragraphs 27 to 35.

Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4

Punishments (sentence) - Conditional sentence - When available or appropriate - An 18 year old Oxycontin addicted accused stole $4,999 from her employer Tim Horton's over a three month period, while working as a counter clerk - She pleaded guilty to the indictable offence of theft under $5,000, but not before repeatedly denying the offence and allowing the rest of the store staff to be enveloped in a pall of suspicion - The New Brunswick Provincial Court held that this was an exceptional case where theft from an employer could result in a conditional sentence - The court sentenced the accused to six months' house arrest to be followed by two years' supervised probation - The court considered, inter alia, the accused's very young age, the depressive symptoms that she was experiencing at the time and the deep addiction to drugs that appeared to have been the driving forces that turned a rather normal 18 year old girl with an unblemished reputation into a thief - See paragraphs 36 to 45.

Criminal Law - Topic 5831.1

Sentencing - Considerations on imposing sentence - Offences involving breach of trust - [See both Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4 ].

Criminal Law - Topic 5854

Sentence - Theft - [See both Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4 ].

Droit criminel - Cote 5720.3

Peines (sentence) - Emprisonnement avec sursis - Considérations - [Voir Criminal Law - Topic 5720.3 ].

Droit criminel - Cote 5720.4

Peines (sentence) - Emprisonnement avec sursis - Circonstances permettant ou justifiant l'emprisonnement avec sursis - [Voir Criminal Law - Topic 5720.4 ].

Droit criminel - Cote 5831.1

Détermination de la peine - Facteurs considérés lors de l'infliction de la peine - Infractions concernant l'abus de confiance - [Voir Criminal Law - Topic 5831.1 ].

Droit criminel - Cote 5854

Peine - Vol - [Voir Criminal Law - Topic 5854 ].

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Steeves (C.E.) et al. (2005), 288 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 751 A.P.R. 1 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 4].

R. v. Connors (N.M.) - see R. v. Steeves (C.E.).

R. v. Chaulk (K.E.J.) (2005), 287 N.B.R.(2d) 375; 750 A.P.R. 375 (C.A.), refd to. [para. 4].

R. v. R.T.S. (2006), 301 N.B.R.(2d) 338; 783 A.P.R. 338; 2006 NBCA 65, refd to. [para. 24].

R. v. MacLean (K.) (2006), 298 N.B.R.(2d) 378; 775 A.P.R. 378 (Prov. Ct.), refd to. [para. 31].

R. v. Stymiest (A.R.J.) (2006), 303 N.B.R.(2d) 10; 787 A.P.R. 10 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Carmichael (A.A.), [2008] N.B.R.(2d) Uned. 136; 2008 NBQB 369, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Langille (L.) (2006), 307 N.B.R.(2d) 7; 795 A.P.R. 7 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Watson (H.M.) (2007), 319 N.B.R.(2d) 172; 823 A.P.R. 172 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Gray (A.J.), [2007] N.B.R.(2d) Uned. 72; 2007 NBCA 54, refd to. [para. 34].

R. v. Proulx (J.K.D.), [2000] 1 S.C.R. 61; 249 N.R. 201; 142 Man.R.(2d) 161; 212 W.A.C. 161, folld. [para. 40].

R. v. Breau (B.O.) (2004), 279 N.B.R.(2d) 331; 732 A.P.R. 331 (Prov. Ct.), appld. [para. 40].

R. v. Charters (K.-L.) (2004), 366 A.R. 381 (Q.B.), refd to. [para. 41].

Counsel:

Avocats:

John (Jack) Walsh, Q.C., and William Morrissy, for the Crown;

Jacqueline Gallant, for the defence.

This matter was heard on October 7, 2008, by Ferguson, P.C.J., of the New Brunswick Provincial Court, who delivered the following decision on March 13, 2009.