Analysis of case law, criminal procedure, and evidence in Canadian sexual assault proceedings, written by criminal defence lawyer Aasheesh Puri.
Sexual Assault Blog is an independent Canadian legal publication examining sexual assault law as it plays out in real cases – covering case law, criminal procedure, evidence, and sentencing decisions. It’s written by Aasheesh Puri, a criminal defence lawyer practicing in British Columbia.
In sexual assault trials, the Crown sometimes calls a friend, a parent or a partner to testify about what the complainant told them after the incident. The evidence can sound persuasive. A jury may assume that a complainant who told the same story to several people must be telling the
Text messages and social media messages are often some of the most important evidence in a sexual assault case. They can show how the accused and the complainant spoke to each other before and after the alleged incident, establish the timing of events, and contradict what a witness later tells
Three Supreme Court of Canada decisions from the past several years have changed how sexual assault cases are defended in British Columbia. Each one affects what evidence the defence can use and when that evidence has to be raised. Anyone facing a sexual assault charge should understand these decisions, because
The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in R. v. A.M., 2026 SCC 33 on October 16, 2026. The case asks whether the rape shield provisions in section 276 of the Criminal Code apply when a person is charged with sexual services or human trafficking offences rather than sexual assault.
The Supreme Court of Canada established the three-step framework for assessing credibility and reasonable doubt in R. v. W.D., [1991] 1 S.C.R. 742. Cory J. formulated the instruction directly: first, if the trier of fact believes the evidence of the accused, it must acquit; second, if the trier of fact
A section 278 application deals with the production of third-party records in cases involving sexual offences. Some of the most important evidence in a sexual assault case is contained in records that are not in the possession of the defence or the Crown. Therapy notes, counselling records, child welfare files,