R. vs. E.L. – Vancouver Provincial Court
Charges: Aggravated Assault; Breach of Probation.
Issue: Given the context of the offences and our client’s rehabilitative efforts, whether a jail sentence was appropriate.
Result: Mr. Johnston informed Crown counsel of the significant rehabilitative progress our client had made since the offence dates and persuaded Crown to not pursue the 16 month jail sentence they had been seeking. Crown agreed to proceed on the less serious charge of assault causing bodily harm and to stay the remaining charges. After hearing Mr. Johnston’s submissions, the court granted our client a one year conditional sentence sentence and two years of probation. This was a particularly positive outcome for our client, who had a prior conviction for a similar offence. No jail.