Robson Crim Legal Blog

The internet has become part of our everyday life in today’s society. Browsing the internet for hours at a time is not an uncommon practice. When someone uses the internet, they leave their fingerprint in the form of an Internet Protocol Address (IP Address). “An IP address is a string of numbers assigned to an internet-connected device. Think of it like an address on a house. Your computer network uses the IP address to communicate with other computers, websites, and all par

In R v Biya[ii], Abadula Biya appealed his conviction and sentence for the charges of unauthorized possession of a firearm, ammunition, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of the proceeds of crime. Biya sought to appeal his case based on the trial judge’s decision to reject Biya’s defence based on the evidence of a known third-party suspect. Biya claimed the reasoning from the trial judge’s decision resulted in a mis

Amy and Georgia from Robson Hall discuss the evolution of victims' rights in Canada, highlighting historical exclusion and recent advancements. They explain how victims' rights have shifted from being nearly invisible to formally recognized, though still with limited enforcement. Key developments include the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), provincial Victims' Bills of Rights, and the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (2015)

Since Delgamuukwi, the oral histories of Indigenous peoples have been recognized as being put on “an equal footing” with documentary evidence.ii Oral history is a means to transmit information orally to record history and preserve Indigenous knowledge.iii The Cowichaniv case was a voir dire to determine the threshold reliability of the oral history evidence of Grant, Guerin and Chief Wayne Sparrow and to allow them to testify without interruption.

In R v Hart, Cromwell JA stated that the cross-examination process is a “cornerstone of the adversarial trial process… [and that] it is an important vehicle for the discovery of truth.”[1] As such, if an accused person chooses to testify,[2] their testimony can be subjected to a cross-examination by Crown counsel.[3] The cross-examination process is ultimately “a fundamental feature of a fair trial.”[4] It is intended to produce evidence in relation to the credibility of an i