Sexual Offences

Convictions for sex-related crimes can be devastating to a person as they may include harsh sanctions generally as well as mandatory registration on the Sex Offender Registry and will require that DNA be entered on the national DNA databank. A conviction under these provisions will greatly impact the ability to obtain employment in certain sectors. However, these offences do not always require that a physical sexual act occurred. The provisions of the Criminal Code contain offences dealing with luring, voyeurism, performing an indecent act and communicating for a sexual purpose. In the digital age, the sharing of intimate images without the consent of the person is an offence that is treated seriously with sentences likely to increase in the coming years. The most serious of offences, sexual assault, can be challenging to defend since there are often no other witnesses to the incident. A competent criminal lawyer must challenge and defend these cases usually on a factual basis. Intricate history and details must be reviewed as well as a possible motive. An individual may have defences of consent, mistaken belief in consent or a defence that the allegation was fabricated. An experienced defence lawyer will know the type of evidence to look for in order to put forward the best defence possible.

In 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the prostitution provisions of the Criminal Code. Parliament devised new legislation in response that created a host of new offences. These offences include those related to the purchase of prostitution, communicating for the purchase of sex or advertising sex. Sex related offences also include the offence of human trafficking.