What is a sexual assault?
Sexual assault includes any non-consensual touching or other physical contact between two persons that has a sexual nature. This offence is very broadly defined. It includes everything from what is traditionally described as “rape” all the way to a “stolen kiss” or a brief grab of a person’s breast or buttocks at a bar.
For non-consensual touching to be a sexual assault instead of just a “regular” assault, there must be a sexual aspect to the physical contact between the accused and the complainant. To determine whether touching has a “sexual” aspect, a court will consider the circumstances of the touching and by the body parts that were touched. Non-consensual touching of a person’s sex organs is usually considered a sexual assault. It is not necessary for the accused to gain any sexual gratification from an act for the act to be a sexual assault.
Sex Charges and other Sex Crimes
Facing sexual assault charges?
If you are currently facing sexual assault charges contact a criminal lawyer at Currie Law to discuss your case. Our sound representation and experience in these cases may assist you to avoid the severe consequences associated with such offences.
In order for a person to be convicted of sexual assault, the Crown Prosecutor must prove that the complainant did not consent to the sexual contact. The person must be capable of consenting to the sexual contact, and the consent must be freely given. For example, a person who is too intoxicated to give their consent has not, in law, truly consented.
If the complainant did not give their consent to the sexual contact, an honest but mistaken belief in consent may still be a defence. This “mistaken belief in consent” defence is carefully limited and heavily restricted. There is no such thing as “implied consent” in Canadian law – consent to sexual contact must have been communicated to the accused, through the other person’s words or behaviour. It is also important to note that a person cannot rely on a mistaken belief in consent unless they took all reasonable steps, in the circumstances known to them at the time, to find out whether the other person was consenting to the sexual contact.
Other Sexual Offences in the Criminal Code
In addition to sexual assault, the Criminal Code creates a number of other sexual offences, such as:
What is the Sex Offenders Registry?
The Canadian government has established a Sex Offenders Registry to track and monitor persons who have been convicted of sexual offences. The Sex Offenders Register and the names and addresses of persons on the registry are not made public. The Registry is used by police officers and certain other organizations to track sex offenders and investigate sexual offences.
How is a person added to the Sex Offenders Registry?
The Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) requires a person on the Sex Offenders Registry to register every year, and to provide the police with certain information, including their addresses, where they are employed, volunteering, or going to school, and any licence plate numbers and descriptions of the vehicles that they use. Persons on the Sex Offender Registry must also notify the police if they expect to be away from one of their registered residences for more than seven days.
Convicted of certain sex offences?
If a person is convicted of certain sex offences, a judge is required to order that a person be added to the Sex Offenders Registry. For some offences, the judge only has to make the order if the prosecutor asks that the person be added to the Sex Offenders Registry, but in other cases, the judge has no discretion and must make the order. Examples of offences where a judge must make a Sex Offenders Registry order include sexual assault, sexual interference, and child pornography offences.
Sex Offender Registry orders last for a period of between 10 years to life, depending on the circumstances.
Facing Criminal Charges?
If you have been charged with a criminal offence, Maureen Currie will vigorously defend you. Maureen Currie is an experienced criminal lawyer, who has represented individuals charged with criminal offences in Milton, Mississauga, Hamilton, Georgetown, Burlington, Guelph, the Niagara Region and throughout Ontario.
A criminal record can have lifelong ramifications.
