R. v. R.T. (1992), 58 O.A.C. 81 (CA)
MLB headnote and full text
Her Majesty The Queen (respondent) v. R.T. (appellant)
(668/90)
Indexed As: R. v. R.T.
Ontario Court of Appeal
Goodman, Galligan and Doherty, JJ.A.
September 15, 1992.
Summary:
The accused pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assaults and unlawfully causing bodily harm. He was sentenced to a total sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment. He appealed his conviction and sentence.
The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal against conviction. The court allowed the appeal against sentence and reduced the total sentence to ten years’ imprisonment.
Criminal Law – Topic 4229
Procedure – Pleas – Guilty plea – Variation of conviction on appeal – An accused, charged with aggravated assaults and unlawfully causing bodily harm, refused duty counsel’s advice, was unrepresented and pleaded guilty – On appeal he sought to withdraw his guilty pleas – The Ontario Court of Appeal declined to allow withdrawal – The accused failed to establish the invalidity of the pleas, where they were voluntary and unequivocal and the accused knew the effect and consequences of the pleas; the trial judge inquired into the factual basis of the charges, even if not required to do so; and there was no miscarriage of justice or violation of constitutional rights – See paragraphs 10 to 67.
Criminal Law – Topic 5883
Sentence – Assault – Unlawfully causing bodily harm – [See
Criminal Law – Topic 5938
].
Criminal Law – Topic 5938
Sentence – Aggravated assault – The leader of a commune brutally assaulted a female follower – He extracted several teeth; removed a cast from her arm and the fixed wires from her tendons; he amputated her arm; he cauterized the arm stump with a heated metal pipe – Prior record – Alcohol abuser – Remorseful – The trial judge sentenced him to one year for aggravated assault (teeth extraction); one year consecutive for unlawfully causing bodily harm (cast and tendons); ten years consecutive for aggravated assault (amputation); and three years concurrent for aggravated assault (cauterization), for a 12 year total – The Ontario Court of Appeal reduced the ten year sentence to eight years, for a total sentence of ten years – See paragraphs 68 to 73.
Cases Noticed:
R. v. Adgey, [1975] 2 S.C.R 426; 13 C.C.C.(2d) 177, refd to. [para. 10].
R. v. Korponay, [1982] 1 S.C.R. 41; 44 N.R. 103; 65 C.C.C.(2d) 65, refd to. [para. 13].
Brady v. United States (1970), 397 U.S. 742, refd to. [para. 13].
R. v. Lyons, [1987] 2 S.C.R. 309; 80 N.R. 161; 37 C.C.C.(3d) 1, refd to. [para. 14].
R. v. Rosen, [1980] 1 S.C.R. 961; 30 N.R. 483; 51 C.C.C.(2d) 65; 108 D.L.R.(3d) 60, refd to. [para. 16].
McCarthy v. United States (1969), 394 U.S. 459, refd to. [para. 40].
Boykin v. Alabama (1969), 395 U.S. 238, refd to. [para. 40].
R. v. Brosseau, [1969] S.C.R. 181; [1969] 3 C.C.C. 129, refd to. [para. 41].
R. v. Bernard, [1988] 2 S.C.R. 833; 90 N.R. 321; 45 C.C.C.(3d) 1, refd to. [para. 47].
R. v. Quin, [1988] 2 S.C.R. 825; 90 N.R. 389; 44 C.C.C.(3d) 570, refd to. [para. 47].
R. v. Clarkson, [1986] 1 S.C.R. 383; 66 N.R. 114; 69 N.B.R.(2d) 40; 177 A.P.R. 40; 50 C.R.(3d) 289; 25 C.C.C.(3d) 207; 26 D.L.R.(4th) 493; 19 C.R.R. 209, refd to. [para. 54].
R. v. Stinchcombe, [1991] 3 S.C.R. 326; 130 N.R. 277; 68 C.C.C.(3d) 1, refd to. [para. 60].
R. v. Jobidon, [1991] 2 S.C.R. 714; 128 N.R. 321; 66 C.C.C.(3d) 454, refd to. [para. 66].
R. v. Perka, Nelson, Hines and Johnson, [1984] 2 S.C.R. 232; 55 N.R. 1; 14 C.C.C.(3d) 385, refd to. [para. 66].
Statutes Noticed:
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982, sect. 7, sect. 10(b), sect. 11(d) [para. 58].
Authors and Works Noticed:
Canada, Law Reform Commission, Working Paper No. 63, Double Jeopardy Pleas and Verdicts (1991), p. 30 [para. 14].
Fitzgerald, The Guilty Plea and Summary Justice (1990), pp. 71 [para. 16]; 192-203 [para. 13]; 211 [para. 40].
Counsel:
Julian N. Falconer, for the appellant;
James K. Stewart, for the respondent.
This appeal was heard on March 18 and 19, 1992, before Goodman, Galligan and Doherty, JJ.A., of the Ontario Court of Appeal. On September 15, 1992, Doherty, J.A., delivered the following judgment for the court.
