Assault (Sentencing Cases)

This page was last substantively updated or reviewed January 2023. (Rev. # 96742)

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Offence Wording

Assault

265 (1) A person commits an assault when

(a) without the consent of another person, he applies force intentionally to that other person, directly or indirectly;

(b) he attempts or threatens, by an act or a gesture, to apply force to another person, if he has, or causes that other person to believe on reasonable grounds that he has, present ability to effect his purpose; or

(c) while openly wearing or carrying a weapon or an imitation thereof, he accosts or impedes another person or begs.

Application

(2) This section applies to all forms of assault, including sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, threats to a third party or causing bodily harm and aggravated sexual assault.

Consent

(3) For the purposes of this section, no consent is obtained where the complainant submits or does not resist by reason of

(a) the application of force to the complainant or to a person other than the complainant;

(b) threats or fear of the application of force to the complainant or to a person other than the complainant;

(c) fraud; or

(d) the exercise of authority.

Accused’s belief as to consent

(4) Where an accused alleges that he believed that the complainant consented to the conduct that is the subject-matter of the charge, a judge, if satisfied that there is sufficient evidence and that, if believed by the jury, the evidence would constitute a defence, shall instruct the jury, when reviewing all the evidence relating to the determination of the honesty of the accused’s belief, to consider the presence or absence of reasonable grounds for that belief.
R.S., c. C-34, s. 244; 1974-75-76, c. 93, s. 21; 1980-81-82-83, c. 125, s. 19.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Assault

266. Every one who commits an assault is guilty of

(a) an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years; or

(b) an offence punishable on summary conviction.

R.S., c. C-34, s. 245; 1972, c. 13, s. 21; 1974-75-76, c. 93, s. 22; 1980-81-82-83, c. 125, s. 19.

– CCC (CanLII), (DOJ)

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Common Assault

Case Name	Prv.	Crt.	Sentence	Summary
2023
R v NJA, 2023 NSSC 417 (CanLII), per Rowe J	NS	SC	Suspended Sentence for 12 months	Find summaries of case.
R v RP, 2023 CanLII 6009 (NL PC)	NL	PC	30 days imprisonment (assault) 12 months imprisonment (abduction)	Find summaries of case.
2022
R v Llewellyn, 2022 ABPC 67 (CanLII), per Stirling J	AB	PC		Find summaries of case.
R v Edwards, 2022 CanLII 60926 (NL PC), per Porter J	NL	PC	10 months imprisonment	Find summaries of case.
R v RM, 2022 ONSC 6662 (CanLII), per Conlan J	ON	SC		Find summaries of case.
2015
R v TEC, 2015 BCCA 43 (CanLII), per Neilson JA	BC	CA		Find summaries of case.
2014
R v Reid(Conway), 2014 CanLII 22078 (NL PC), per Porter J	NL	PC	150 days imprisonment (assault) 60 days imprisonment (threats)	biting victim. Find summaries of case.
2012
R v Chisholm, 2012 NBQB 389 (CanLII), per Morrison J	NB	SC	6 months imprisonment	Offender plead guilt to kicking and punching the victim at a casino. He was 22 years old aboriginal with a prior related record. Find summaries of case.
R v Penner-Younker, 2012 BCPC 369 (CanLII), per Bagnall J	BC	PC		Find summaries of case.
2011
R v Norman, [2011] NJ No 214 (P.C.)(*no CanLII links)	NL	PC	1 month imprisonment	pushing into snowbank and holding down
R v Roefaro, 2011 BCPC 278 (CanLII), per Meyers J	BC	PC	3 years imprisonment	beating over 3 hours; gay victim; broken ribs, teeth Find summaries of case.
R v Rautenberg, 2011 BCPC 259 (CanLII), per MacKay J	BC	PC	12 months imprisonment	Find summaries of case.
R v Lyver, 2011 CanLII 54511 (NL PC), [2010] NJ 92, per Gorman J	NL	PC	6 months imprisonment	2 assaults after unlawfully entering house, masked Find summaries of case.
R v Wells, [2011] NJ 140(*no CanLII links)	NL		Suspended Sentence	punch in side of head, no record, D sought discharge
R v O'Soup, 2011 SKCA 97 (CanLII), per Caldwell JA	SK	CA	6 months imprisonment	Causing bodily harm; kicked bouncer in head after he passed out Find summaries of case.
2010
R v Coleman, [2010] NJ 87(*no CanLII links)	NL		20 days imprisonment	grabbing victim by hair , no record, D sought discharge
2009
R v Newman, 2009 NLCA 32 (CanLII), [2009] NJ 201, per Welsh JA	NL	CA	3 months imprisonment	threw victim against wall Find summaries of case.
R v Manning, 2009 CanLII 33466 (NL PC), [2009] NJ 167, per Porter J	NL	PC	5 months imprisonment	strike to face Find summaries of case.
2008
R v Withrow, 2008 NSPC 28 (CanLII), per Campbell J	NS	PC	6 months imprisonment	punch victim in face, breaking false teeth and knocking him to the floor Find summaries of case.
R v Metzler, 2008 NSCA 26 (CanLII), per Bateman JA	NS	CA	22 weeks	assault causing bodily harm; swarming Find summaries of case.
R v Koc, 2008 NLTD 97 (CanLII), [2008] NJ No 161 (S.C.), per Goulding J	NL	SC	discharge	appeal from 14 day CSO, would be deported if CSO sentence Find summaries of case.
2007
R v Thok, 2007 ABPC 305 (CanLII), per Van de Veen J	AB	PC		Find summaries of case.
2006
R v SG, [2006] NJ 266(*no CanLII links)	NL		Suspended Sentence	pushing against wall, no record, D sought discharge
2005
R v Tobin, 2005 CanLII 8659 (NL PC), per Porter J	NL	PC	4 months imprisonment	assault, uttering threats, mischief and several breaches Find summaries of case.
2004
R v Betker, , [2004] A. J. No. 795(*no CanLII links)	AB	PC		"The charges involved choking, unlawful confinement and assault. This case was noteworthy in that the Justice reviewed a number of authorities (from para. 24 to 36) and ultimately decided that a sentence of 9 months followed by 2 years probation was appropriate in the circumstances of that case. The majority of the cases reviewed were domestic violence cases. However, the court did refer to the leading case on choking in Alberta, R. v. Robinson (1993), 1993 ABCA 91 (CanLII), 135 A.R. 342, a decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal, to which I will refer to later in this decision. Although this case was referred to in R. v. Betker, supra, at p. 6, para. 33 neither the Crown nor Defence counsel made reference to it in their submissions." (Quoting from R v Kruse, 2004 ABPC 194)
1999
R v Sundquist, , [1999] A. J. No. 538(*no CanLII links) , per Van de Veen J	AB	PC		"the case involved assault, unlawful confinement and a peace bond breach. Again this was a domestic violence case, involving an element of breach of trust. There was some reference to attempted choking but a charge of choking was not before the Court. The aggravating factor here was that the offender was on probation for throwing the same victim through a window. There was no evidence of personal injury and the decision of the Court, after giving credit for the equivalent of 1 month pretrial custody was imprisonment for 1 year." (Quoting from R v Kruse, 2004 ABPC 194)
1995
R v McGuigan, 1995 CanLII 3966 (SK CA), per Wakeling JA	SK	CA		Find summaries of case.
R v Martin (W.J.), 1995 CanLII 16663 (NB CA), per TheCourtNBCA	NB	CA		Find summaries of case.
1994
R v Murphy (K.M.), 1994 CanLII 10294 (NL SC), per Barry J	NL	SC		Find summaries of case.
1993
R v Morrison, 1993 CanLII 1512 (PE SCTD), per DesRoches J	PEI	SC		Find summaries of case.
1991
R v Barnaby, 1991 CanLII 2683 (NB KB), per Riordon J	NB	SC		Find summaries of case.
R v Bruce, 1991 CanLII 13015 (PE SCTD), per MacDonald CJ	PEI	SC		Find summaries of case.
R v Brown (J.E.), 1991 CanLII 13007 (PE SCTD), per DesRoches J	PEI	SC		Find summaries of case.
1990
R v Wells, 1990 CanLII 12367 (PE SCTD), per McQuaid J	PEI	SC		Find summaries of case.
R v Naraindeen (C.A.), 1990 CanLII 6731 (ON CA), per Morden ACJ	ON	CA		Find summaries of case.
R v Laviolette, 1990 CanLII 1345 (BC CA), per Gibs JA	BC	CA		Find summaries of case.
R v Oakley, 1990 CanLII 12541 (NWT CA) per Stratton JA	NWT	CA		Find summaries of case.
R v WFM, 1990 CanLII 4260 (NB CA), per curiam	NB	CA		Find summaries of case.
R v AMM, 1990 CanLII 2642 (PE SCAD), per Mitchell JA	PEI	CA		Find summaries of case.
1989
R v Nicholson, 1989 CanLII 7759 (NB QB), per Riordon J	NB	SC	4 months jail and 2.5 years probation	Find summaries of case.
R v Ayles, 1989 CanLII 9862 (NS CA), per matthews JA	NS	CA	12 months imprisonment	Find summaries of case.

Assault Causing Bodily Harm

• Assault Causing Bodily Harm (Sentencing Cases)

Assault with a Weapon

• Assault with a Weapon (Sentencing Cases)

Domestic

• Intimate Partner Violence (Sentencing Cases)

Child victim

• Violence Against Children (Sentencing Cases)

Assaults Relating to Persons in Authority

• Assaults Relating to Persons in Authority