R. v. Lacroix, 2008 SCC 67, [2008] 3 SCR 509

                                                 SUPREME COURT OF CANADA

Between:

Philippe Lacroix

Appellant

and

Her Majesty The Queen

Respondent

Official English Translation

Coram: McLachlin C.J. and Binnie, LeBel, Deschamps, Abella, Charron and Rothstein JJ.

______________________________

R. v. Lacroix, [2008] 3 S.C.R. 509, 2008 SCC 67

Philippe Lacroix                                                                                                                  Appellant

v.

Her Majesty The Queen                                                                                                 Respondent

Indexed as:  R. v. Lacroix

Neutral citation:  2008 SCC 67.

File No.:  32445.

2008:  November 21; 2008:  December 4.

Present:  McLachlin C.J. and Binnie, LeBel, Deschamps, Abella, Charron and Rothstein JJ.

on appeal from the court of appeal for quebec

Criminal law — Appeals — Unreasonable verdict — Accused convicted on 15 counts of sexual assault — Majority of Court of Appeal affirming convictions — Whether verdicts unreasonable.

Held:  The appeal should be allowed.  A verdict of acquittal is substituted on each of the counts on which the accused was convicted.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Quebec Court of Appeal (Chamberland, Dufresne and Côté JJ.A.), SOQUIJ AZ-50467234, [2008] Q.J. No. 195 (QL), 2008 CarswellQue 124, 2008 QCCA 78, affirming a decision of Garneau J., SOQUIJ AZ‑50362829, [2006] Q.J. No. 2572 (QL), 2006 CarswellQue 2530, 2006 QCCQ 2138.  Appeal allowed.

Annie Émond, for the appellant.

Sophie Lamarre and Carole Lebeuf, for the respondent.

English version of the judgment delivered by

[1]     The Court — The appellant appeals to the Court as of right. The issue is whether the guilty verdicts entered by the trial judge are unreasonable. We agree with Chamberland J.A.’s conclusion in dissent that [translation] “[t]he circumstantial evidence has so little weight that it was unreasonable to convict the appellant of the assault on L.V.” ([2008] Q.J. No. 195 (QL), 2008 QCCA 78, at para. 46).

[2]     We also agree with Chamberland J.A. (at para. 47) that as a result of this conclusion, the Court need not deal with the similar fact evidence, [translation] “since it was that verdict that led the trial judge to find the appellant guilty of the other 14 assaults, all of which had been committed by a single man”.

[3]     Consequently, the appeal is allowed and a verdict of acquittal is substituted on each of the counts on which the appellant was convicted.

Appeal allowed.

Solicitors for the appellant:  Boro, Polnicky, Lighter, Montréal.

Solicitor for the respondent:  Poursuites criminelles et pénales du Québec, Montréal.