Sexual assault
R. v. J.E.C.
A publication ban applies. The offender is not named.
- Below the Crown's ask
Sentence and the Crown's position
What the law allows
A jury found the offender guilty of six counts of sexual assault against five complainants, committed between 2013 and 2018 in Abbotsford and Kamloops. The Crown sought sentences totalling 14 years; the defence proposed 7 years and 7 months. Justice Riley set sentences totalling 11 years and 5 months, then reduced them to 10 years and 5 months on totality, citing the offender's youth at the time, lack of a prior record and rehabilitative steps, and gave 25 months' credit for pre-sentence custody.
In the judge's words
1In the long run, society is best served by a sentence that advances the interests of rehabilitation, so long as that can be accomplished in a manner that also reflects the objectives of proportionality, denunciation, and deterrence.
The record
- Convicted of
- Sexual assault (CC 271, 6 counts)
- Prior convictions
- 0 prior convictions1
- At the time of the offence
- Not stated1
- Defence asked for
- 7 years and 7 months in custody1
- Appeal
- Not yet checked
- Counsel
- Crown: K. Bouchard, L. Drake
Defence: L.J. Helps
Sources
- R. v. J.E.C., 2025 BCSC 1173 Court decision, CanLII, June 11, 2025
[80] The Crown says … offences were punctuated by multiple aggravating factors. … The Crown therefore submits that … should receive jail sentences totalling 14 years.
Defence counsel submits that … should receive sentences totalling 7 years and 7 months, less credit for time in custody, yielding a net sentence of 5 years and six months.
[86] I have taken into account that … was a young man with no prior criminal record when he committed the first of these offences.
[122] … In the long run, society is best served by a sentence that advances the interests of rehabilitation, so long as that can be accomplished in a manner that also reflects the objectives of proportionality, denunciation, and deterrence.
[123] I conclude that there should be a reduction in the sentences for several of the counts to produce a sentence that is not crushing in its totality. … The result is a prison sentence of 126 months, or 10 years and five months. … entitled to 759 days of credit for pre-sentence custody. This can be converted to 24 months and 29 days, which I would round up to 25 months.
- Criminal Code, s. 271 Record, Justice Laws Website
- R. v. J.E.C., 2025 BCSC 1173 Court decision, Courts of British Columbia