R. v. M.A.2023
M.A. was charged with trafficking numerous drugs, including cocaine, fentanol, magic mushrooms. The Crown wanted 5 years jail. After a long trial, M.A. was acquitted of most charges, and convicted only of possessing a small amount of drug for their own use, and was sentenced to probation.
R. v. A.P.2022
A.P. was charged with having sex with an underaged girl. The complainant gave the police text messages to bolster her evidence. At trial, the complainant was disbelieved, and A.P. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. E.C.2022
One person died and another gravely injured after EC had a seizure when he was driving. EC lost control of his car. Crown wanted EC to jail. Celine convinced the Crown and the Court that EC should serve only 6 months of house arrest.
R. v. T.E.H.2022
A young boy told his mother that an old friend touched him many years ago. TEH was charged with sexual assault. TEH acquitted of all charges after a successful cross-examination of the boy.
R. v. T.J.2022
Years after a bad breakup, T.J.’s ex-girlfriend claims that he committed extorsion and sexual assault on her. The complainant provided text messages, where T.J. would have said that she complete a task “or else”. T.J. was acquitted of all charges: even though there were text messages, the court did not believe the complainant.
R. v. L.K.2022
LK was charged with sexual assault. The complainant said she said no to having sex, but LK did not stop. She called police immediately after they had sex, and reported the assault. LK acquitted after trial after Celine successfully cross-examined the complainant and demonstrated her version was not reliable.
R. v. G.S.2022
After a night of drinking, GS got in an argument with his neighbours. He damaged their property. Originally, GS was offered probation if he plead guilty. GS retained Celine, who was able to get an absolute discharge for her client.
R. v. M.B.2022
While M.B. was depressed, she met a man online who immediately took advantage of her vulnerability. M.B. took money from her employer, and sent it to the man. In total, she took more than $40,000. M.B. was convicted of fraud. The Crown wanted M.B. to spend a year in jail, in order to learn from her mistake. But Celine convinced the judge that her client was already remorseful, and more good would come from house arrest, where she could return the funds, instead of sending her client to jail.
R. v. S.L.2022
S.L. was in a drunken stupor and decided to pull down his friend’s pants while she was asleep. S.L. immediately apologized, stopped drinking and made a charitable donation. At court, Celine convinced the judge to impose no jail for her client, who was convicted of a sexual assault.
R. v. P.C.2022
Police were warned that P.C. had child pornography on his computer. The Crown prosecutor wanted a 1-year jail sentence; but Celine was able to convince a judge to sentence her client to 90 days jail, served on weekends. P.C. was able to keep his job and return home during the week.
R. v. A.H.2022
After being subject to racial slurs, A.H. lost his temper and was charged with assault in Ottawa. A.H. received a conditional discharge, no criminal record, there was clear video evidence of her client assaulting a stranger.
R. v. C.C.2022
C.C. was charged with raping his friend. C.C. did not deny that sex occurred, but that he may not have understood that he pressured his friend to consent to sex when she was not consenting. C.C. received a discharge, ensuring that he could continue going to school and maintain a productive lifestyle.
R. v. S.P.2022
While arguing with his wife, S.P. took out a hatchet and started damaging property. S.P threatened to hurt his wife with the hatchet. Through Celine’s hard work, S.P. was only convicted of 2 charges, and was sentenced to house arrest, never having to enter a jail cell.
R. v. K.C.2022
After a bad breakup, K.C. returned to her ex’s residence and damaged property. Celine convinced the Court that K.C. should only enter into a peace bond. All criminal charges were dropped.
R. v. P.P.2022
While driving to work, P.P’s vehicle was struck by another car. A fight ensued, and P.P. was charged with assaulting the other driver. P.P’s charged were dropped by the crown.
R. v. A.R.2022
Two young girls reported to police that Celine’s client had offered them money for sex. AR was looking at a jail sentence if he were found guilty, but Celine was able to convince the Crown to withdraw the charges before a trial was set.
R. v. S.A.2022
SA was charged with domestic assaults, including choking and threating his then-wife. He also was facing similar charges in another jurisdiction in Ontario. His wife also filed for divorce, and was using the outstanding criminal charges as leverage for the divorce. The complainant was found not credible at trial, and Celine’s client was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. D.M.2022
After breaking up with his girlfriend through text, she reported to police that there were incidents of sexual assault during the relationship with D.M. Ms. Dostaler successfully convinced the judge during the trial that her client did not sexually assault his then-partner. D.M. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. E.G.P.2022
E.G.P. stole from her employer. After she quit her job, the employer investigated into her habits, and she was charged with fraud. Celine was able to convince the judge that her client should only receive a discharge. The Judge warned E.G.P. that a discharge is a very odd position in such a breach of trust, but agreed to impose it in that case.
R. v. B.S2022
He was charged with domestic assault in Ottawa. The relationship was toxic and on the rocks. While they were out drinking, BS decided it was time to break up. BS was charged with domestic assault. Celine artfully negotiated a conditional discharge, ensuring that BS would not have a criminal record.
R. v. V.J2022
VJ was charged assault, uttering threats, and obstructing justice. Celine convinced the judge that VJ should be sentenced to a discharge.
R. v. C.O.2022
CO was driving to Toronto with 3 other men. They hid two loaded weapons in her bag. CO was convicted of having possession of the firearms in Brockville, Ontario. The Crown sought a jail sentence of 4 years. CO had never been to jail before. Celine convinced the Court that CO should instead receive house arrest. Her client received a conditional jail sentence of 2 years less a day, allowing her to serve her jail sentence from home.
R. v. A.D.2022
During a heated argument with her spouse, AD was charged with assault and assault with a weapon. The Crown withdrew all charges.
R. v. B.P.2022
After he was convicted of sexual assault, the Crown asked the court to impose a 4-year jail sentence. Celine successfully convinced the court to sentence her client to 1 year in custody.
R. v. B.Y.2022
BY was charged with sexually assaulting a woman he met online. BY had kept all the text messages that were exchanged between himself and the complainant. Due to the exculpatory nature of the messages, the Crown withdrew all charges against her client.
R. v. Z.S.2022
While he was out consuming drugs with people he thought he knew, they brought him to an armed robbery. ZS was charged with robbery with a firearm, and conspiracy in Perth, Ontario. ZS maintained he was not part of the heist. After long negotiations, ZS’s charges were all withdrawn.
R. v. J.S.2022
JS worked in a retirement home. One of the residents alleged that he touched her inappropriately while working, including touching her breasts and genitals. Celine’s strong cross-examination skills highlighted all the inconsistencies in the complainant’s statement to police, and JS was acquitted.
R. v. M.V.2021
After MV testified in court against her ex-partner, police were told that MV hit her ex’s son with a shovel. Celine convinced the Crown that this allegation was intended to thwart the MV’s testimony on the other trial. The Crown agreed and a peace bond was imposed.
R. v. T.F.2021
TF was in a toxic relationship: both would argue in front of the children, would break up and get back together. TF’s wife reported to police that he had assaulted her numerous times during the relationship, including pushing her in front of a moving vehicle and threatening to hurt her. She also alleged the children suffered assaults at the hands of TF. After trial, TF was acquitted of most charges, and convicted only of the most minor assaults, and instead of a lengthy jail time, he received a short period of house arrest.
R.v. G.D.2021
GD’s brother told police that GD committed sexual assaults as a youth. Celine successfully highlighted all the inconsistencies of the allegations, and the charge was withdrawn by the crown.
R. v. N.W.2021
JK called police because he was worried that NW and his 3 friends were trying to kidnap him to forcefully remove his tattoo. Police believed that this was done as a result of being in a motorcycle gang. At pretrial motions, Celine and co-counsel were able to successfully defeat an officer from being designated as an expert and giving opinion evidence that NW and his friends were acting on behalf of a gang. NW and co-accused plead to intimidation, and received a sentence of probation, instead of years’ in jail.
R. v. C.P.2021
CP was charged of sexually touching a girl in his charge. Celine was able to convince the crown that there was no sexual contact, and instead of pleading guilty to a sexual assault and facing jail time and registration on the Sexual Offender Registry, CP plead guilty to a simple assault.
R. v. C.G.2021
After numerous flirtations, CG agreed to meet with a girl in the evening with her friend. They drove around, and went to CG’s residence. When the girls returned home, one of the girls told the mother she was kissed by CG. This girl was less than 14 years old, and CG was in his 20s. CG was charged with sexual interference. Celine convinced the Crown and the Judge that there was not enough evidence to convict CG of the charge, and after he completed counselling, the charge of sexual interference was withdrawn by the Crown.
R. v. DRC2021
DRC did not have a good relationship with her neighbours, and police were often called against one neighbour or another. DRC was charged with assault with a weapon as a result of one of the incidents with the neighbour. Celine convinced the Crown to withdraw the charges against DRC as long as she entered into a Peace Bond and promised to keep the peace for 1 year.
R. v. J.S.2021
When she walked into a party, J.S. thought she saw her boyfriend cheating on her. She lost control of her emotions and started hitting him and the other person, with anything she could find. J.S. was charged with assault with a weapon. Celine convinced the court that the anger exhibited by J.S. was out of character, and that after completing counselling to deal with anger management, she was not a threat. J.S. received an absolute discharge.
R. v. B.G.2021
As B.G. was caring for patients in their home, she agreed to work for one patient outside of her contract. B.G. further took money from her patient’s credit card, and was charged with theft and fraud in Brockville. Although the Crown wanted to send B.G. to jail, Celine Dostaler’s strong advocacy skills persuaded the court to impose a discharge, so that B.G. did not have a criminal record.
R. v. S.B.2021
S.B. keyed her boyfriend’s car when she found him cheating on her. Celine convinced the Crown and the Judge that S.B. should not have a criminal record, and S.B. received a discharge.
R. v. J.B.2021
J.B. was charged following an incident of Road Rage, where angers were so heated that he broke the ribs of the victim. Celine successfully persuaded the Judge to sentence J.B. to house arrest following the conviction of assault cause bodily harm.
R. v. D.S.2020
D.S. entered a locked office building while he was in custody and charged with a break and enter. Police entered the building and found D.S. hiding behind a desk. Celine convinced the Crown to withdraw the charges.
R. v. M.V.2020
M.V. was charged with domestic assault. M.V.'s and his partner were going through a tough separation. His partner called police after the charges were laid, and reported breaches including that he communicated directly via email. Through numerous discussions with the Crown, the breaches were found to be unfounded, and all charges against M.V. were dropped in exchange for a peace bond.
R. v. J.K.2020
Tempers were high, and during a breakup J.K.'s partner called police to make sure that J.K. was leaving his home. Police arrived, believed an fight had taken place and charged J.K. with domestic assault. Celine ensured that the charge was withdrawn, as no assault took place. J.K. was spared a criminal record.
R. v. M.D.2020
Charged with impaired driving in Ottawa. M.D. was facing a jail sentence - this was a second impaired driving offence. Celine successfully prevented the Crown from filing a Notice of Increased Penalty, and M.D. was sentenced to a higher fine.
R. v. D.R.2020
D.R. spat on a security officer after he started following her around the store. D.R. was charged with assault. Crown asked the court to impose a jail sentence on D.R., a first offender. Celine convinced the Judge that D.R. should receive a discharge, preventing a criminal record.
R. v. G.C.2020
Charged with assault cause bodily harm in Ottawa. A colleague got mad at him, and both started to fight. G.C. won. Police were called, G.C. was charged with assault. Celine convinced the crown that this was a case of "consent to fight" and the charge was dropped.
R. v. J.B.2020
During a night out with friends, a woman came up to J.B. and asked for a ride. On the ride, they had sexual intercourse. The woman made a complaint to police, that she was sexually assaulted. Celine convinced the Crown that there was no reasonable prospect of conviction, and charges were dropped.
R. v. C.C.2020
C.C. took over 30,000$ from her employer and was charged with fraud and criminal breach of trust. After completing extensive rehabilitation and repaying the entire amount, Celine convinced the judge that her client should not receive a criminal record. C.C. was sentenced to a conditional discharge, saving her from a conviction.
R. v. D.P.2020
D.P. was seeing a woman with lower cognitive skills. She reported that on some occasions, she felt force to have sexual relations with D.P. Matter was resolved with a peace bond, no criminal conviction.
R. v. V.D2020
Youth charged with assault after a bad breakup. Celine was able to convince the Crown to drop all charges after client successfully completed counselling.
R. v. J.B.2020
After 20 years of marriage, J.B.'s ex-wife went to police and reported that J.B. sexually assaulted her before they were married, when she was under age. After a preliminary hearing, the Crown agreed to withdraw the criminal charges if J.B. agreed to enter into a peace bond, with conditions that he not contact his ex-wife. J.B. was happy to no longer have any communication with his ex-wife, and clear his criminal record.
R. v. M.L.2020
M.L. was charged with numerous white collar crimes, including fraud, forgery, of a total of more than 4 million dollars. The Crown wanted to lock M.L. up for 4 years, but Celine expertly argued on behalf of her client, who was sentenced to 18 months jail, and was ordered to repay a much lower sum to only 2 complainants.
R. v. R.M.2020
R.M. was well liked and received hundreds of accolades over the years working as a bus driver. However, when he refused to make a stop away from a bus stop, other passengers became upset and started confronting and recording R.M. R.M. knocked the camera out of the passenger's hand, and was charged with assault. Charges were dropped as a result of Celine's negotiating with the Crown.
R. v. S.N.2020
S.N.'s children called police, saying that their mother hit them. CAS investigated and S.N. was charged with assault with a weapon, assault and threatening her children. Celine advocated strongly on her client's behalf, and the charges were withdrawn by the Crown.
R. v. S.S.2021
S.S. took more than $30,000 from their employer, by writing false paychecks, and was charged with Fraud and Uttering forged documents in Ottawa. Crown described those actions as huge breaches of trust, and wanted S.S. to spend at least 9 months in jail for the fraud. Celine successfully convinced the judge to sentence her client to house arrest, giving S.S. time to repay the funds taken.
R. v. J.M.2020
J.M. was charged with Domestic Assault, for throwing items at their partner. Charges were withdrawn.
R. v. L.B.2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused numerous disruptions in everyday life. For L.B., he was not able to go visit his girlfriend in Canada due to the border closures. L.B. was desperate and decided to fake a letter of employment so he could cross the border. Border Guards found the false documents, and he was charged with uttering forged documents. Celine convinced the Court to sentence her client to an absolute discharge, ensuring that L.B. does not have a criminal record.
R. v. C.B.2020
Sometimes babysitting can be difficult. In C.B.’s case, he was doing a favour for his friend and agreed to take charge of her 3 children. However, those children would not listen to him, and when they were last punished, they told their parents that C.B. had inappropriately touched them. C.B. was charged with indecent exposure, and assaulting the children. After lengthy testimonies at trial from the children, the judge acquitted C.B.
R. v. D.R.2020
D.R. spat on a security guard who was ushering the group out of a store. Crown asked the court to consider a jail sentence, but the court was convinced by Celine Dostaler that D.R. should not get a criminal record, and imposed a conditional discharge.
R. v. M.E.S.2020
MES was charged with numerous domestic assault charges, including assault, harassment and sexual assault, against his ex-girlfriend. After he was charged, his ex-girlfriend called police because she believed he drove by her house. MES was charged with breaching conditions. Later still, MES and his girlfriend got back together, until police found out and MES was charged with further breaching conditions by communicating with his ex-girlfriend, contrary to the conditions under which he was released. MES was sent to jail to await his charges. MES was released on strict conditions to await his trial after a bail review. At trial, MES was acquitted of the sexual assault, harassment, and the first breach charges, and admitted to the other charges. MES was only sentenced to probation.
R. v. T.C.2020
TC is a single father, struggling to earn enough money to take care of his child. Someone he knew approached him, and offered him money if he agreed to sign a lease of a vehicle with false ID. TC was charged with personation, fraud over $5,000 and theft over $5,000. Celine convinced the judge that a jail sentence was not appropriate in TC’s case, and TC was sentenced only to probation.
R. v. J.M.2020
JM had an enormous collection of child pornography, downloaded from the internet, and available to others through a peer-to-peer software. JM was a first time offender. The Crown wanted JM to be sentenced to 5-6 years of jail, but Celine convinced the judge that a much lower sentence, that of 3.5 years, was appropriate.
R. v. T.M.2020
TM was charged with sexually assaulting his girlfriend’s daughter. TM vehemently denied that he had touched her. The complainant went to the hospital, and had a rape kit done, on which male DNA was identified, but could not confirm if TM’s DNA was present or not. TM worked with Celine to reconstruct his day, he went through his text and phone logs, and provided a minute-by-minute breakdown of what he did during the day when his girlfriend’s daughter was with him. At trial, while being cross-examined, the complainant finally told the truth: she told the court that “she didn’t want to lie anymore, and it didn’t happen”. TM was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. R.B.2019
RB was charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm: his vehicle struck a family leaving for a family vacation, grave injuries to the people in the other car. People convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm go to jail: the length of time depends on their actions, and the injuries sustained by the victims. Celine Dostaler worked with her client to prepare him for the least possible sentence. After numerous lengthy sentencing submissions, RB was sentenced to 10 months jail, less than half of the time the Crown suggested was appropriate.
R. v. C.C.2019
CC had no criminal record, a good job, and great friends. Unfortunately, CC drank too much at a bar, lost their temper and was in a bar fight. When the police arrived, CC fought with the police. Celine advocated that her client should not receive a criminal record, but instead should receive a restraining order, prohibiting CC from returning to the bar if CC completed treatment. There was no criminal record, all the charges were dropped after treatment.
R. v. P.B.2019
PB took money from his employer to pay his gambling debts. Although the Crown sought to put her client in jail, Celine successfully convinced the judge that because PB had completed counselling, community service and paid off his debt to his employer, he should not get a criminal record. PB was sentenced to an absolute discharge, the judge agreeing with Celine that this was “one of the very rare cases where a discharge is warranted.”
R. v. Z.S.2019
When he was at a bar, ZS danced with a woman and grabbed her inappropriately to the point that she needed to push him off her. ZS was charged with sexual assault. Celine successfully advocated and convinced the court to order a conditional discharge for a simple assault, preventing ZS from being registered on the Sexual Offenders’ Registry and having a criminal record for a drunken time at the bar.
R. v. M.B.2019
M.B. was charged with sexual assault in a young child. The child alleged that she was assaulted during her sleep. A thorough cross-examination revealed issues with the child’s testimony, and the judge acquitted M.B. of all charges at the trial.
R. v. B.L.2019
B.L. was charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle. B.L. went to a bar after work, met other patrons and consumed too much alcohol. B.L. left the bar with another patron. On their way home, the vehicle fell into a ditch. The other individual went to get help, and told police that B.L. was the driver. When the police arrived at the location of the vehicle, B.L. was in the driver’s seat, had a concussion and did not remember the motor vehicle accident. At trial, Celine successfully raised a reasonable doubt that B.L. was not a driver – the other patron drove the vehicle and B.L. climbed into the driver’s seat after the accident. The Judge acquitted B.L.
R. v. B.A.2018
B.A., still in high school, decided to experiment with drugs. He took so much drugs that he went into a drug-induced psychosis and didn’t realize he was running around naked, hit his girlfriend with a rock and hit people who were just walking outside. Celine encouraged B.A. to start residential treatment for drug dependency, and because he successfully completed the program, the judge agreed to impose a discharge.
R. v. C.R.2018
C.R. was charged with assault and assault with a weapon. C.R.’s son went to school with a bruised lip, and told teachers that his father hit him. Police interviewed all the children of the house. Celine demonstrated the weaknesses in the case with all the children’s inconsistent statements, before it even went to trial, and the Crown dropped the charges.
R. v. T.H.2018
T.H. was drinking with her boyfriend, both were heavily intoxicated. Police were called, and T.H. made a statement to police that she pushed her boyfriend with a knife and cut him. At trial, T.H.’s statement were excluded as evidence, and she was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. K.W.2018
K.W. was drinking with her boyfriend, and an argument started. Police were called, and K.W. was charged with domestic assault and mischief charges. Celine’s advocated on behalf of her client, and the Crown agreed to withdraw all charges against K.W.
R. v. A.N.2018
A.N. was supposed to be the designated driver. The bar closed, her phone was dead, and there were no cabs around. A.N. got in her car, started it and charged her phone. A.N. was arrested for having care and control of her vehicle while being impaired and over 80. A.N. was acquitted of all charges after trial.
R. v. L.S.P.2018
L.S.P. was going through a bad separation, his partner hit him, and he retaliated. Unfortunately, L.S.P. was the one charged with domestic assault. Celine convinced the Crown that L.S.P. should not have a criminal record, and his charges were dropped.
R. v. J.A.J.2018
A co-worker felt harassed by J.A.J., and told the police that he forced himself on her during work hours. Celine convinced the crown that the co-worker’s statement was not reliable. J.A.J. entered into a Peace Bond, with the promise that he not go near his old co-worker, and the sexual assault charge was dropped by the crown.
R. v. M.S.2018
M.S. was charged with domestic assault, and released with conditions not to communicate with his ex-wife. M.S. was later charged with breaching conditions by sending a letter to his ex-wife, forwarding her mail, and removing funds out of her bank accounts. Through extensive preparation of her client for his testimony, and an exhaustive cross-examination of the complainant, Celine revealed doubt that M.S. committed the offences. M.S. was acquitted of domestic assault, mischief and harassment, but received a discharge for the breach of conditions.
R. v. D.I.2018
D.I. and his girlfriend were having issues in the relationship. At the end of the relationship, D.I. was in an argument that went too far, and both partners started physical contact. All charges against D.I. were dropped in exchange for a Peace Bond.
R. v. B.S.2017
A schoolmate told the school principle that B.S. had touched her breasts while at school when they were alone together. B.S. had since changed city, and was not expected to return to that school. After several negotiations, the Crown agreed to forgo a trial and drop the charges, as long as B.S. agreed that he not communicate with the old schoolmate.
R. v. T.N.2017
Police charged T.N. with being the head of a criminal organization that stole trucks from concession lots and shipped them to Africa. T.N. already had a criminal record for theft, and had already spent years in jail for exporting illegal goods, but the Crown was looking at a long jail sentence for these crimes. T.N. admitted to Céline that he did ship one cargo illegally, but denied shipping over 30 stolen vehicles. Police said they had phone records and shipping records which showed T.N. to be the brains of the operation. Céline investigated every angle, turned every stone, and was able to show that the phone records and shipping records were not reliable. T.N. only plead guilty to trafficking stolen property one time, and did not serve any jail time.
R. v. R.H.2017
While riding his bike, R.H. noticed that a female bike rider was having difficulty going up a hill. He rode up to her and pushed her from the back. The woman called police and said he grabbed her buttocks. He was charged with a sexual assault. Intense negotiations with the Crown ensued, and they finally agreed to drop the charges as long as R.H. complete some community service hours.
R. v. C.M.2017
C.M. worked in a large retail location with his partner, and was in charge of security. Over $20,000 went missing from the company, and they suspected C.M. The company interviewed C.M., and persuaded him to admit to the theft so that his partner could keep his job. Although he admitted taking the money during the interview, and even wrote a statement to that effect, Céline worked tirelessly to uncover inconsistencies in the case. With those inconsistencies, she was able to convince the judge that C.M’s admission was not reliable. The charges were dropped by the Crown.
R. v. P.L.2017
In a case of road rage, P.L. tried to run a cyclist off the road. Videos of the incident were on social media, and the police decided to charge P.L. with dangerous driving and assault charges. Celine brought to light the events leading up to the incident viewed on video – that the cyclist was egging on the driver, and the Judge agreed that P.L. should not receive a criminal record, and sentenced him to a discharge.
R. v. C.G.2017
While visiting the City of Ottawa, C.G. became upset that the hotel manager kicked her out of her room because her friend was smoking. C.G. became irate, fought with the hotel manager and spit on him. The Crown wanted C.G. to go to jail, but Celine’s submissions to the judge convinced him that C.G. should not receive a criminal record, and was sentenced to a discharge.
R. v. C.A.2016
C.A. was called by the police for an investigation of a sexual assault against his granddaughter. He called Celine Dostaler immediately once he found out about the ongoing investigation: this allowed her to start her proactive approach to the criminal defence. Celine worked tirelessly to discover all the facts of the case, and the charges were dropped by the Crown before it even went to court.
R. v. G.K.2016
G.K.’s girlfriend told him that a schoolmate was harassing her and had touched her inappropriately. When G.K. saw the schoolmate, he lost control of himself and punched him several times. The Crown wanted G.K. to go to jail: he committed an unprovoked assault against someone. However, Celine’s arguments to the judge convinced him that G.K. should not have a criminal record.
R. v. D.Z.2016
D.Z. was a supervisor at work. He cultivated friendships with other employees, and would sometimes hug them when they were upset. One employee made a complaint about the hugs, and D.Z. was charged with sexually assaulting her. Celine investigated every angle of the unclear surveillance videos, and spoke with numerous other employees. At trial, the judge agreed that the video showed the employee hug D.Z. and ruled that it was a consensual act. D.Z. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. P.B.2016
The accused was charged with sexually abusing his wife and using force on their children, causing bruises and other injuries. The complainant was discredited in cross-examination and the matter resulted in an acquittal of all charges.
R. v. D.V.2015
D.V. was fascinated with guns. When he lost his job, an acquaintance offered to buy him a restricted firearm if he registered another one under his name. D.V. agreed and bought and registered two restricted firearms. When he received the guns, he invited a friend over. Both men drank alcohol and consumed drugs while target shooting. D.V.’s friend killed himself. D.V. hid the gun and told police that his friend committed suicide with a shotgun. The Crown was seeking 6-8 years in jail, but Celine successfully argued for a 5-year jail sentence, even considering that D.V. had tampered with a death scene, lied to police and trafficked a restricted weapon.
R. v. C.H.2015
C.H. had conditions not to communicate with his wife. She continued her relationship with C.H., but later filed charges that he sexually assaulted and forcibly confined her and her children in the kitchen for four hours. The Crown expected an easy win at trial, but Céline conducted her own investigation and found information that was not consistent with her statement to police. After a thorough cross-examination, C.H.’s wife was impeached and the judge found her not credible. C.H. was acquitted of sexual assault and forcible confinement.
R. v. J.J.2015
Mr. J.J. had raised his step daughter like his own since she was a young child. He had a perfect life: 2 stepdaughters, 3 of his own children, and a beautiful wife. When his step daughter turned 18 years old, she told her mother and the police that J.J. had been sexually assaulting her from the age of 12 to 16. J.J. was devastated, his life turned upside down. He could no longer see his family, and his marriage disintegrated to divorce. At trial, the step daughter recounted numerous incidents of sexual assault. Through a powerful cross-examination and persuasive final submissions, Celine convinced the judge that what seemed like a clear-cut case for the Crown remained fraught with doubt. J.J. was acquitted of all his charges.
R. v. D.D.2015
Mr. D.D. was invited to a friend’s house while he was in university. That night, after drinking and consuming marijuana excessively, he had sex with his friend while she was still asleep. D.D. was convicted of sexual assault and the Crown tried to convince the judge to sentence him to 2 years in the penitentiary. However, Celine was able to convince the judge that a 1-year jail sentence, for a first time offender, was more appropriate.
R. v. S.A.A.2014
S.A.A. was accused of sexual assault following an attempt to kiss a friend on their way home after school. The victim accused S.A.A. of grabbing her butt and putting his hands down her pants. Céline Dostaler’s defence showed that the Crown had not proven a sexual assault, and S.A.A. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. J.H.2014
J.H. was charged with possession of child pornography. According to the police, J.H.’s collection was one of the largest they had ever seen. The day before J.H. was sentenced, someone else with a smaller collection of child pornography was sentenced to 2 years in jail. Céline worked with J.H. to ensure that he was on the road towards rehabilitation, and she successfully argued that all of J.H.’s hard work towards rehabilitation should afford him a lesser sentence. J.H. was sentenced to 1 year in jail, for possession of one of the largest collections of child pornography in the Ottawa-area.
R. v. L.L.2014
The manager of a sports equipment store was accused of sexually assaulting an employee following a discussion with her regarding money shortages in the nightly cash receipts. The defence proved that the employee was not credible and all charges were acquitted.
R. v. R.H.2014
R.H. was stopped by police because they suspected he was driving while impaired. At the station, police tried to convince R.H. to call a lawyer, but R.H. refused. He was brought into the breath technician room to provide two samples of breath, and the officer read R.H. his rights to counsel again. R.H. then asked to speak to a lawyer, and told the officer that he would not provide a sample without first speaking to a lawyer. The officer did not allow R.H. to call a lawyer, stating that he had a chance to do so earlier and refused. Céline successfully argued that even though he was originally allowed to speak to a lawyer before providing a breath sample and he refused, that his right to speak to a lawyer was denied by the second officer, because that officer refused to allow him to call a lawyer. R.H. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. A.P.2014
Police conducted a traffic-stop on A.P. for having a malfunctioning break light. When speaking with the driver, the police noticed a roach and immediately arrested A.P. for possession of drugs. The police searched A.P. and found a small amount of marijuana and cocaine. Céline Dostaler successfully argued at trial that the police breached A.P.’s rights by conducting a search of the car without anything more than a roach. The drugs found by the police were excluded from the evidence, and A.P. was acquitted of all charges.
R. v. P.W.2013
P.W. was charged with impaired and refusal to provide a breath sample. He drank more than 6 ounces of vodka and drove to the Beer Store, where he bought 2 tall cans and a 12-pack of beer. After he finished his two tall cans of beer, he decided to drive home. Witnesses called the police because P.W. was driving erratically and weaving across lanes. When police arrived, P.W. hit a snowbank and was laying down across the driver and passenger seat. When police asked that he provide a breath sample, P.W. refused to blow into the machine, instead blowing into thin air. P.W. wanted to plead guilty to all charges. Through effective advocacy, P.W. only plead guilty to impaired driving, was sentenced to a $2,000 fine, and a 12-month driving prohibition. P.W. did not have to plead guilty to the charge of refusal to provide a breath sample.
R. v. J.L.2013
J.L. was charged with care and control of a motor vehicle and impaired driving. J.L. went drinking with his friends at a bar. At closing time, he knew he was too drunk to drive home so he planned on walking with his friends and getting his car in the morning. Paramedics were parked near his car and noticed J.L. leave his group of friends, take a seat in his car and turn on the engine. Paramedics blocked the car to prevent him from driving and called police. At trial, J.L.’s friends said that they were waiting for J.L. to get out of his car before they walked home, but that they did not see that he had turned on the car and put it in reverse. J.L. was acquitted of impaired operation of a motor vehicle.
R. v. R.H.2013
As the power of attorney for his grandmother, R.H. paid himself over $300,000 from her account. R.H. was charged with fraud and the Crown was seeking jail time for many years. Céline’s arguments resulted in the judge agreeing to put R.H. under house arrest.
R. v. S.C.D.2013
S.C.D. was accused of trafficking marijuana because she was in possession of a large quantity of marijuana, a scale, and baggies. Although the accused stated that the marijuana was for personal use, she was charged for possession for purposes of trafficking. The Crown wanted S.C.D. to go to jail for 90 days, however, the defence was able to fight the trafficking charges and the accused was found guilty of simple possession of marijuana and had to pay a small fine.
R. v. E.T.2013
E.T. had sold crack cocaine and heroin to undercover officers. The Crown wanted E.T. to go to jail for eight years. E.T. had completed drug rehabilitation before he was charged with old heroin offences, and had beaten his drug addiction. Through many meetings with the Crown, Céline was able to convince them to drop the heroin charges. E.T. was convicted of selling crack cocaine and breaching conditions, and instead of a jail sentence, Céline was able to convince a judge that E.T. serve a short period of probation.
R. v. R.O.2013
The accused and his girlfriend were drinking and an argument ensued which resulted in R.O. punching his girlfriend in the mouth. The Crown was looking for a 9-month jail sentence, however Céline Dostaler was able to persuade the judge to sentence the accused only to house arrest.
R. v. J.B.2012
J.B. was accused of unlocking the warehouse door where he worked, allowing thieves to enter and steal thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. A video surveillance tape captured an individual, identified as J.B. by his boss, allowing thieves to enter the warehouse. J.B. was acquitted because Céline Dostaler was able to convince the judge that he was not the person unlocking the door in the security video.
R. v. D.H.2012
D.H. was accused of trafficking cocaine as part of a “criminal organization” — a conviction that adds 1 year of jail to any sentence. Celine worked as a junior counsel with the defence team. Although most of the defence team agreed that D.H. and his friends formed a criminal organization, Céline’s research showed that the group did not meet the definition under the law. This research was pivotal in convincing the judge that D.H. and his friends did not form a “criminal organization,” and it prevented D.H. from being sentenced to one extra year in prison.
