The Defence Toolkit

The Defence Toolkit serves up summaries and commentary on the editor’s choice of the three best Canadian criminal defence cases every week. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn to get notified of new posts.

The Defence Toolkit – June 28, 2025: Ares v. Venner and Expert Evidence

by Pawel Milczarek | 28 June 2025 | Charter 11(b), Experts, Hearsay, Sentencing Principles | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Willier, 2025 ABKB 370: Ares v Venner #Expert Evidence, R v Zabihullah, 2025 SKCA 64: 11(b) particular #complexity, R v Moazami, 2025 BCCA 189: trial #aggravating sentence R v Willier, 2025 ABKB 370 [June 18, 2025] The Common Law Business Records Exception to Hearsay [Justice N. Whitling] AUTHOR'S NOTE: Limits of the Business Records Exception in Criminal Cases Ares v. Venner established a common law exception allowing business records to be admitted as...

The Defence Toolkit – June 21, 2025: Crown-led Sexual History

by Pawel Milczarek | 21 June 2025 | Opinion Evidence, Sentencing Principles, Sexual History s 276 | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Kinamore, 2025 SCC 19: Crown s.276 and #sexual inactivity, R v Chiarelli, 2025 ONCA 428: lay #trafficking opinion, R v Attachie, 2025 BCCA 183: Nahanee and GP #mitigation R v Kinamore, 2025 SCC 19 [June 13, 2025] Sexual History Evidence: Crown Led Evidence and Sexual Inactivity [Reasons by Wagner C.J. with Karatkatsanis, Côté, Rowe, Martin, Kaiser, Jamal, O'Bonsawin and Moreau JJ. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: This case harmonizes the common law rules on...

The Defence Toolkit – June 14, 2025: Expert Evidence

by Pawel Milczarek | 14 June 2025 | Charter 10(b), Charter s.7, Disclosure, Experts | 0 Comments

This week's top three summaries: R v Whitby, 2025 SKCA 55: #expert evidence, R v Herman-Ward, 2025 ABCJ 101:s.10(b) #perfunctory, R v McQuarrie, 2025 ONSC 2955: #prisoner disclosure R v Whitby, 2025 SKCA 55 [June 6, 2025] Expert Evidence Admissibility: Testing of Expertise [Reasons by Neal W. Caldwell with Jerome A. Tholl and Jillyne M. Drennan JJ. concurring] AUTHOR'S NOTE: This case reinforces a critical and often misunderstood point in expert evidence law: threshold admissibility is a...

The Defence Tooling – May 24, 2025: Excessive Interventions

May 24, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Walton, 2025 ONCA 368: #excessive intervention, R v Hardestine, 2025 BCSC 889: #ruse stop, R v Serieaux, 2025 ONSC 2356: #NCRMD R v Walton, 2025 ONCA 368 [May 14, 2025] Excessive Judicial Intervention [Reasons by P. Lauwers J.A....

The Defence Toolkit – May 17, 2025: Position of Trust

May 17, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Selby, 2025 ABCJ 70: #trust position, R v Aleekuk, 2025 NWTCA 4: #kienapple, R v Ahola, 2025 ONSC 2614: #impaired by drug R v Selby, 2025 ABCJ 70 [April 25, 2025] Sexual Exploitation (s.153): Position of Trust [Justice G.S....

The Defence Toolkit – May 10, 2025: Unsavoury Mr Big Identification

May 10, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v KF, 2025 ABCA 149: #principled exception ID, R v JC, 2025 ONCA 331: DO #intractability, R v Willier, 2025 ABKB 260: s8 in #medical info R v KF, 2025 ABCA 149 [April 29, 2025] Principled Exception to Hearsay: Identification by of a...

The Defence Toolkit – May 3, 2025: Panicked Provocation

May 4, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Picken, 2025 SKCA 43: #provocation, R v Lako, 2025 ONCA 284: #principled exception, R v Davis, 2025 ONSC 2404: #trauma and #flight R v Picken, 2025 SKCA 43 [April 22, 2025] Panicking can be Consistent with a Provocation Defence...

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The Defence Toolkit – April 19, 2025: s.10(b) – Just Dial the Number

Apr 19, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Tierney, 2025 ABKB 223: 10(b) SW #delay & overhold, R v Cardinal, 2025 ABCA 128: #principled exception, R v Davis, 2025 BCCA 113: #gladue & s268, R v Tierney, 2025 ABKB 223 [April 9, 2025] Charter s.10(b): Search Warrant...

The Defence Toolkit – April 12, 2025: Common Sense

Apr 12, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v PP, 2025 ONCA 243: #arranged marriage, R v Vaughan, 2025 ONSC 1751, s.11(b) under 30, R v Admussen, 2025 ABCJ 49: #counterfeit R v PP, 2025 ONCA 243 [March 28, 2025] Commons Sense Assumptions by Judges: Arranged Marriage, Freudian...

The Defence Toolkit – April 5, 2025: Arrest outside Courtroom

Apr 5, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v Jackson, 2025 ONSC 1677: s11(b) new #arrest, R v Stewart, 2025 ONSC 1277, #possession in glovebox, R v Zborowsky, 2025 ABCJ 44: #credibility factors R v Jackson, 2025 ONSC 1677 [March 14, 2025] Charter s.11(b): Arrest Interfering...

The Defence Toolkit – March 29, 2025: Breaches and Discoverability

Mar 29, 2025

This week's top three summaries: R v James, 2025 ONCA 213: s24(2) #discoverability, R v Gordon, 2025 ONCA 201, judge #promise and GP, R v JC, 2025 ONCA 230: expanded #amicus R v James, 2025 ONCA 213 [March 20, 2025] Charter s.24(2): Discoverability and Cumulative...

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