5°c Partly cloudy
16°c Isolated showers
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Sentencing set for today in Canada's landmark navy spy case
HALIFAX -- Intelligence and justice officials around the world will be watching today as a navy officer convicted of selling military secrets to Russia becomes the first person to be sentenced under Canada's Security of Information Act.
Sub-Lt. Jeffrey Paul Delisle will appear in Nova Scotia provincial court for a two-day hearing after pleading guilty in October to breach of trust and passing information to a foreign entity that could harm Canada's interests.
The landmark case has captivated legal experts, international allies and intelligence agencies eager to see how the Canadian judicial system handles the treason of one of its own.
The challenge for lawyers and Judge Patrick Curran is how to come up with an appropriate sentence without having case law to consult under the untested act.
"It's going to be a very difficult exercise because there just isn't really a range that's been set out under this legislation," Mike Taylor, Delisle's lawyer, said in an interview Wednesday.
"Although there will be comparisons to the (Official) Secrets Act... things are different and things have changed and the facts are different in those cases.
"We're comparing cases that don't necessarily lie on all fours. They're just not the same thing."
Taylor said he has been searching case law in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada but found little that matches the unique circumstances of the agent who walked into the Russian Embassy in Ottawa in 2007 to offer his services after his personal life began to unravel.
Legal scholars say Curran will have a tricky time settling on a sentence since he will be faced with general sentencing principles that don't fit well with this type of offence, decades-old espionage cases tried under another act and what are expected to be widely divergent recommendations from the Crown and defence.
It's expected the Crown will ask for a hefty sentence in the interests of deterrence and show its allies it's taking the matter seriously.
-- The Canadian Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 31, 2013 A13
More Canada
- Back to Top
- Return to Canada
Poll
Most Popular Canada
- Abrupt departure for Mayor Rob Ford's chief of staff amid 'crack video' scandal
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Second suspect in test drive killing charged with first-degree murder
- Charges laid against three in Canada Revenue Agency fraud investigation
- Could have accepted chief of staff's resignation sooner, Harper admits
- Rob Ford's chief of staff out of office as 'crack video' scandal swirls
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- 'I want him to suffer,' mother of teen boy says after captor pleads guilty
- Duffy says he's won't quit Senate in first public comments since expense scandal
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Mother cries, yells as driver appears in court charged with killing boy on patio
- Harper to be on hot seat at Tuesday caucus after chief of staff quits
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Toronto mayor stays silent about alleged crack video as Trudeau, Wynne weigh in
- Abrupt departure for Mayor Rob Ford's chief of staff amid 'crack video' scandal
- Baird takes the heat, Harper sheds little light on Senate spending scandal
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- First-degree murder charge to be laid in test drive death; remains badly burned
- Multiple fatalities after serious crash near U.S. border
- Canadian tourist dies after falling from hotel in Mexican resort
- Crack-cocaine video allegations 'ridiculous,' Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says
- Arrest made in case of Hamilton, Ont., man missing after pickup truck test drive
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Mother cries, yells as driver appears in court charged with killing boy on patio
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- Second suspect in test drive killing charged with first-degree murder
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Canada lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood, but some restrictions remain
- Abrupt departure for Mayor Rob Ford's chief of staff amid 'crack video' scandal
- Supreme Court won't hear immunity claim from former Quebec Lt.-Gov.
- Charges laid against three in Canada Revenue Agency fraud investigation
- CRTC hits Alberta's Wildrose Party with $90,000 fine for robocalls in 2011, 2012
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- Quake near Ottawa rattles residents across wide swath of Ontario, Quebec
- Secret CSIS source, allied intelligence cited in high-profile terror case
- The Gretzky of Gretzky collectors
- Canadian and American missing for nearly two weeks in Mexico
- Grade 5 kids urge Harper to drop mean attack ads against Justin Trudeau
- Harper government buying ads to promote job grant program that doesn't yet exist
- Toronto, eh? Late-night TV cracks up audiences with jibes at Mayor Rob Ford
- Second suspect in test drive killing charged with first-degree murder
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Man with no arms plans to fight seatbelt ticket, wants apology from police
- Leaving Saskatoon: police mourn homeless drunk they considered a friend
- Commanding officer of Canadian Forces base in Alberta charged with sex assault
- Duffy bailout by Harper's chief of staff prompts allegations of coverup by PMO
- Ottawa threatens 'retaliatory measures' over new U.S. meat labelling regulations
- What's snot OK with eating your own boogers?
- Prince Philip presented with Order of Canada during royal visit to Toronto
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.