Patricks v. The Queen, [1965] SCR 657

Supreme Court of Canada

Patricks v. The Queen, [1965] S.C.R. 657

Date: 1965-06-24

Edward Stephen Francis Patricks Petitioner;

and

Her Majesty The Queen Respondent

1965: June 14, 15; 1965: June 24.

Present: Cartwright, Abbott, Martland, Judson and Hall JJ.

WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

Criminal law—Habeas corpus—Whether warrant of committal discloses offence—Criminal Code , 1953-54 (Can.), c. 15, s. 288(d).

The petitioner was convicted of armed robbery. The Court of Appeal increased his sentence from two to six years. His application for leave to appeal to this Court was dismissed. He then applied to this Court for a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that the warrant of committal disclosed no offence known to the law.

Held: The application should be dismissed.

The warrant of committal reading "…unlawfully did steal from employees of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, while armed with an offensive weapon, thereby committing robbery, contrary to the Criminal Code ", sufficiently identified the proper grounds for committal, being in the precised wording of s. 288  (d) of the Criminal Code .

Droit criminel—Habeas corpus—Le mandat de dépôt dévoile-t-il une offense—Code criminel , 1953-54 (Can.), c. 51 art. 288(d).

Le requérant a été trouvé coupable de vol à main armée. La Cour d'Appel a augmenté sa sentence de deux à six ans. Sa requête pour permission d'appeler devant cette Cour a été rejetée. Il présenta alors une requête devant cette Cour pour obtenir un bref d'habeas corpus pour le motif que le mandat de dépôt ne dévoilait aucune offense connue de la loi.

Arrêt: La requête doit être rejetée.

Le mandat de dépôt se lisant « …a illégalement volé des employés de la Banque canadienne impériale de commerce, alors qu'il était muni d'une arme offensive, commettant alors un vol, contrairement au Code criminel  », identifie suffisamment les motifs de détention, étant la phraséologie précise de l'art. 288 (d) du Code criminel .

REQUÊTE pour obtenir un bref d'habeas corpus. Requête rejetée.

APPLICATION for a writ of habeas corpus. Application dismissed.

Claude R. Thomson, for the petitioner.

James W. Austin, for the respondent.

[Page 658]

The judgment of Cartwright, Abbott, Martland and Judson JJ. was delivered by

JUDSON J.: On June 6, 1963, the applicant Patricks was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to a term of two years and six months. On an appeal by the Attorney General against this sentence, the Court of Appeal increased it to six years. He is now in prison on a Warrant of Committal reading that he:

At the City of St. Thomas, in the County of Elgin, on the 27th day of November, in the year 1962 unlawfully did steal from employees of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, while armed with an offensive weapon, thereby committing robbery, contrary to the Criminal Code .

The applicant was represented by counsel at trial. The Court of Appeal dismissed his application for leave to appeal and a further application for leave to appeal to this Court was dismissed. He now applies for a Writ of Habeas Corpus on the ground that the Warrant of Committal discloses no offence known to the law. In my opinion it sufficiently identifies the proper grounds for committal, being in the precise wording of s. 288 (d) of the Criminal Code  which provides that

288. Every one commits robbery who

(d) steals from any person while armed with an offensive weapon or imitation thereof.

I would dismiss the application.

HALL J.:—I agree with my brother Judson that the Warrant of Committal upon which the applicant is being held in custody is sufficient to answer the contention that he is now being held unlawfully and I would dismiss the application.

Application dismissed.