Escape from Lawful Custody (Sentencing Cases)

From Criminal Law Notebook
This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2014. (Rev. # 93159)

Offence Wording

Escape and being at large without excuse

145 (1) Every person who escapes from lawful custody or who is, before the expiration of a term of imprisonment to which they were sentenced, at large in or outside Canada without lawful excuse, is guilty of

(a) an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years; or
(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.


[omitted (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10) and (11)]
R.S., 1985, c. C-46, s. 145; R.S., 1985, c. 27 (1st Supp.), s. 20; 1992, c. 47, s. 68; 1994, c. 44, s. 8; 1996, c. 7, s. 38; 1997, c. 18, s. 3; 2008, c. 18, s. 3; 2018, c. 29, s. 9; 2019, c. 25, s. 47; 2022, c. 17, s. 4.

CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)


Note up: 145(1)

Case Digests

Case Name Prv. Crt. Sentence Summary
2013
R v Schooner, 2013 BCCA 40 (CanLII), per Garson JA BC CA 1 year imprisonment The offender plead guilty to being unlawfully at large.
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Keywords: None
2010
R v Jackson,
2010 BCCA 330 (CanLII), 289 B.C.A.C. 157, per Kirkpatrick JA
BC CA 3 months imprisonment (at large) The offender was convicted of resisting arrest and escaping custody.
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Keywords: None
R v Gartner, 2010 BCCA 600 (CanLII), per Hall JA BC CA 30 days imprisonment The offender was convicted of being unlawfully at large in violation of her intermittent sentence over two days. She had a record of prior breaches.
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Keywords: None
2008
R v Addley, 2008 BCCA 460 (CanLII), per Finch JA BC CA 30 months imprisonment The offender was convicted of prison break. He was 27 years old with a long criminal record, including 18 offences for non-compliance with the justice system.
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Keywords: None
R v Abraham, 2008 MBPC 14 (CanLII), per Sandhu J MB PC 1 year imprisonment While at large he committed 15 armed robberies.
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Keywords: None
2000
R v Beals, 2000 NSCA 43 (CanLII), per Bateman JA NS CA 18 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
1996
R v Pelly, (1996), 113 Man. R. (2d) 209(*no CanLII links) MB 9 months imprisonment The offender was convicted of prison break.
Keywords: None
1994
R v Mcleod, 1994 CanLII 4647 (SK CA), per Tallis JA SK CA 8 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
1993
R v Downey, 1993 CanLII 3150 (NS CA), per Jones JA NS 12 months imprisonment
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Keywords: None
1983
R v Kelly, [1983] B.C.J. No 692(*no CanLII links) BC 1 year imprisonment The offender was convicted for running away from a peace officer who had lawfully arrested him. He had a long record of similar offences.
Keywords: None
1978
R v Shackleton, [1978] B.C.J. No 199(*no CanLII links) BC 2 months imprisonment The offender was unlawfully at large from jail.
Keywords: None
R v Hodson, [1978] B.C.J. No 196(*no CanLII links) BC 9 months imprisonment The offender was convicted of being unlawfully at large. He had a prior related record.
Keywords: None