{"id":21804,"date":"2021-10-25T14:44:43","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T18:44:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/?post_type=case_summary&#038;p=21804"},"modified":"2025-06-30T20:03:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T00:03:21","slug":"r-v-brown","status":"publish","type":"case_summary","link":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/case_summary\/r-v-brown\/","title":{"rendered":"R. v. Brown (2022)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This case concerns the ability to use self-induced&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;intoxication as a defence to assault and sexual assault offences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF intervened before the Supreme Court of Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Facts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Brown consumed alcohol and magic mushrooms while at a party. He then broke into two homes. While in the first home, he attacked a woman and caused her serious injuries. He caused property damage in the second home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mr. Brown argued that he did not have the intent to commit the assault, as a result of his intoxication.&nbsp;A provision of the&nbsp;<em>Criminal Code<\/em>, however, states that accused persons cannot use self-induced extreme intoxication as a&nbsp;defence&nbsp;to offences including assault, sexual assault, and manslaughter. The trial judge held that the provision violate ss. 7 and 11(d) of the <em>Charter<\/em>, and could not be saved under s. 1. The Court of Appeal of Alberta disagreed, and held that the provision was constitutional.&nbsp;&nbsp;  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Argument<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF&nbsp;argued that the constitutionality of&nbsp;the&nbsp;provision&nbsp;needed to&nbsp;be assessed in the context of women\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/canadian-heritage\/services\/how-rights-protected\/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html#a2f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">s. 15<\/a>&nbsp;equality rights.&nbsp;In&nbsp;enacting this&nbsp;provision,&nbsp;Parliament was focused on&nbsp;protecting&nbsp;the rights of women and children, recognizing that violence disproportionately impacts\u202fthem. The&nbsp;assessment of whether the&nbsp;provision violated&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/canadian-heritage\/services\/how-rights-protected\/guide-canadian-charter-rights-freedoms.html#a2e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">s. 7<\/a>&nbsp;of the\u202f<em>Charter&nbsp;<\/em>needed to&nbsp;consider and balance\u202f<em>all\u202f<\/em>of the\u202f<em>Charter\u202f<\/em>rights engaged by&nbsp;the provision,&nbsp;particularly the equality and security rights of women and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Outcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Supreme Court of Canada held that s. 33.1 violated the constitutional rights of accused persons, and struck down the provision. The Court clearly stated, however, that this does not mean that drunkenness without automatism can be used as a defence to sexual assault charges.&nbsp;The Court also agreed with LEAF that the rights of women and children \u00ab\u00a0are intensely important and must be given full consideration under the <em>Charter <\/em>analysis.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF is grateful to Megan Stephens and Lara Kinkartz, counsel in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Download the factum <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/SCC-39781-Factum-of-the-Intervener-Factum-of-the-Intervener-Womens-Education-and-Action-Fund-Inc.-LEAF-Suitable-for-Posting.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canlii.org\/en\/ca\/scc\/doc\/2022\/2022scc18\/2022scc18.html?autocompleteStr=R%20v%20BRown%202022&amp;autocompletePos=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LEAF\u2019s interventions are all guided, informed and supported by a case committee composed of academics and practitioners with expertise in the relevant issues. The case committee for this case included: Karen Bellehumeur (Bellehumeur Law); Rosemary Cairns Way (University of Ottawa); Frances Chapman (Lakehead University); Alanna Courtright (St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton); Daphne Gilbert (University of Ottawa); and Farrah Khan (Ryerson University). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[449,543,256],"class_list":["post-21804","case_summary","type-case_summary","status-publish","hentry","tag-criminal-law","tag-intervention","tag-sexual-assault"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>R. v. Brown (2022) - LEAF<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"R. v. 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