R. v. Leinen, 2014 SCC 23, [2014] 1 SCR 500

 

  

 

SUPREME COURT OF CANADA

 

Citation: R. v. Leinen, 2014 SCC 23, [2014] 1 S.C.R. 500

Date: 20140321 Docket: 35531

 

Between:

Her Majesty The Queen

Appellant

and

Jeffrey Kevin Leinen

Respondent

 

 

 

Coram: LeBel, Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner JJ.

 

Reasons for Judgment: (para. 1)

LeBel J. (Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner JJ. concurring)

 

 

 

R. v. Leinen, 2014 SCC 23, [2014] 1 S.C.R. 500

 

 

 

Her Majesty The Queen                                                                                 Appellant

v.

Jeffrey Kevin Leinen                                                                                  Respondent

 

 

 

Indexed as:  R. v. Leinen

 

 

 

2014 SCC 23

 

 

 

File No.:  35531.

 

 

 

2014:  March 21.

 

 

 

Present:  LeBel, Abella, Rothstein, Cromwell, Moldaver, Karakatsanis and Wagner JJ.

 

 

 

on appeal from the court of appeal for alberta

 

                    Criminal law — Trial — Charge to jury — Accused convicted of second degree murder and aggravated assault for killing one person and injuring another after driving truck into crowd — Accused invoking involuntary panic response or lack of intent to kill or injure anyone and alleging that trial judge misdirected jury — Court of Appeal ordering new trial on ground that trial judge failed to instruct properly on legal significance of panic attack defence — Charge to jury, read as a whole, containing no reversible error in relation to voluntariness or intent.

 

                    APPEAL from a judgment of the Alberta Court of Appeal (Hunt and McDonald JJ.A. and Hughes J. (ad hoc)), 2013 ABCA 283, 83 Alta. L.R. (5th) 29, 556 A.R. 211, 584 W.A.C. 211, 301 C.C.C. (3d) 1, 48 M.V.R. (6th) 1, [2013] A.J. No. 804 (QL), 2013 CarswellAlta 1394, setting aside the accused’s convictions for second degree murder and aggravated assault and ordering a new trial.  Appeal allowed and convictions restored.

 

                    Josh Hawkes, Q.C., for the appellant.

 

                    Jennifer Ruttan and Karen B. Molle, for the respondent.

 

                    The judgment of the Court was delivered orally by

 

[1]               LeBel J. — We are all of the view that the charge to the jury, read as a whole, contained no reversible error in relation to either voluntariness or intent. For these reasons, the appeal is allowed and the convictions are restored.

 

                    Judgment accordingly.

 

                    Solicitor for the appellant:  Attorney General of Alberta, Calgary.

 

                    Solicitors for the respondent:  Ruttan Bates, Calgary; Karen B. Molle, Calgary.