SELECTED CASE LAW
NOVA SCOTIA:
In 2016 NSSC 29, Mr. B, a 26-year-old man, pleaded guilty to sexual interference with a minor for having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl. He was also charged with touching a person under the age of 16, sexual assault, and luring. The Court anticipated the Crown would discontinue the prosecution of those offences.
Mr. B met Ms. M on the internet using an anonymous video chat service called Omegle that randomly pairs people together. Mr. B stated that he was 25 years old and Ms. M, who was 13 years old at the time, lied about her age and said she was turning 18 soon. They later began chatting on MSN Messenger and Ms. M revealed her actual age which caused Mr. B to stop communicating with her. Ms. M persisted with communication and Mr. B eventually began communicating with her again over the internet and phone. Mr. B later traveled to the city where Ms. M lived and had sexual contact with her several times, including sexual intercourse. Both Ms. M and Mr. B initiated the sexual contact. Due to an unrelated incident, the police be-came alert to the relationship and arrested Mr. B.
Mr. B was sentenced to 12 months’ incarceration and two years’ probation. Additional orders included a 20-year registration as a sex offender, a DNA order, forfeiture of the items seized, a no contact order with Ms. M, and a 20-year limitation on being near people under 16 years old, including a prohibition from communicating with a person under the age of 16 via the internet or other digital networks.
Criminal Offence(s): Sexual Assault