Category: Sexual Assault

By Joseph A. Neuberger Neuberger & Partners LLP A year after parliament’s new rules of evidence for sexual assault trials came into effect judges continue to disagree on how to uphold the constitutional rights of the accused. Until recently, the new legislation has been interpreted to require advance disclosure of defence evidence in a manner which would allow complainants to both know how they would be cross-examined and give them...
Continue reading The Continued Impact of Bill C-51 and the Ensuing Chaos in Sexual Assault Trials....

Joseph A. Neuberger Neuberger & Partners LLP Criminal Defence Lawyers The justice system depends upon public faith to give it legitimacy and that faith must remain intact for both the complainants of crime and the accused. Not only should complainants expect to have their grievances properly heard, an accused must have access to a fair and impartial hearing with procedural and evidentiary protections to ensure a fair trial. In recent...
Continue reading Attack on the Rules of Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases....

Joseph A. Neuberger Neuberger & Partners LLP www.nrlawyers.com If you have been charged with sexual assault, it is of the utmost importance that you and your lawyer lay out a coherent defence theory and obtain all necessary evidence to marshal your defence.  This will often include details of the complainant’s sexual history as it relates to your defence and to issues that are relevant in the evidence of the complainant. ...
Continue reading How the Recent Changes to the Criminal Code May Affect Your Sexual Assault Trial...

By Joseph A. Neuberger Neuberger & Partners LLP www.nrlawyers.com Growing public and media attention on the way sexual assault trials are conducted has increased the scrutiny upon defence lawyers and how these trials are conducted, with a focus on the way a complainant experiences the trial process. Since new legislation was passed in Canada, by Bill C-51 in December 2018, there are new rules governing evidence and the cross-examination of...
Continue reading An Attack on the Right to Make Full Answer and Defence in Sexual Assault Trials...

Joseph A. Neuberger, LL.B., LL.M., C.S. Neuberger & Partners LLP www.nrlawyers.com In a recent precedent setting case out of Alberta, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned Bradley Barton’s manslaughter acquittal and ordered a new trial due to the Crown’s failure to be alert to the issue of the victim’s privacy regarding her sexual history. Mr. Barton was on trial for first degree murder in the death of an Indigenous woman...
Continue reading Supreme Court of Canada Clarifies Use of Prior Sexual Activity and Re-defines Consent in Honest but Mistaken Belief in Consent Defences in Sexual Assault Cases...

The growing concern to address sexual assault allegations on university campuses has resulted in a new vigilance to investigate and litigate allegations against students and faculty with little to no protection of the accused person’s fundamental rights.  Increasingly students and faculty members accused of sexual misconduct, even absent criminal charges, are being forced to participate in pseudo-trials designed by universities. The accusations being made through these tribunals are often very...
Continue reading University Tribunals are no Substitute for Courts...

Tags: sexual assault

What is Bill C-51? According to the Government of Canada’s website it is, “Legislation introduced by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada on June 6, 2017 reflects the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to ensure that Canada’s criminal justice system protects Canadians, holds offenders to account, shows compassion to victims, and upholds the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” Advocates for those falsely accused of sex crimes...
Continue reading Bill C-51 and its Implications....

We live in an age where sexual assault and domestic violence allegations are being taken more seriously than ever before. And for the true victims of these crimes, this comes as a welcome relief.  Sadly however, there are those that would take advantage of the seriousness of such allegations and falsely use them to their own benefit. Being falsely accused of domestic violence - whether an assault or sexual assault...
Continue reading The Common Use of Domestic and Sexual Assault Allegations...

Joseph A. Neuberger, LL.B., LL.M., C.S. Neuberger & Partners LLP Having defended well over 1000 sexual assault cases, a considerable percentage have involved alleged sexual assaults when both parties have been drinking or under the influence of a drug.  The thrust of the prosecution case is that as a result of the complainant’s level of intoxication, she or he lacked the capacity to consent to sex. Often during cross-examination the...
Continue reading CAPACITY TO CONSENT TO SEXUAL ACTIVITY...

Tags: sexual assault

A physician is facing assault charges after a woman in her 50s alleged that he assaulted her at a medical appointment in 2016. Police say they charged the Ottawa, Ontario, doctor with sexual assault after reviewing a complaint the woman made in February of 2017. Investigators are asking other alleged victims to come forward. The woman said she was alone with the now 44-year-old doctor in an examination room when...
Continue reading Ontario doctor accused of sexual assault...

Tags: Criminal Defence