Charges: Robbery x 2, theft x 2, concealing face with intent to commit an offence, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Issues: Whether the Crown could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that our client had committed all of the offences, and what the appropriate sentence would be for the charges it could prove.
Result: The Crown agreed that it could not prove our client had committed the more serious of the two robberies or that he had been concealing his face with intent to commit the offence. The Crown directed stays of proceedings on these charges and instead approved a charge of uttering threats. The Crown further agreed to reduce the charge to the lesser offences of theft under $5,000 and assault. Given Mr. Johnston’s representations regarding our client’s circumstances, the Crown agreed to a “time-served” jail sentence rather than the years long jail sentence they had been seeking.