The Crown has appealed the sentence of a Fort St. John veterinarian who pled guilty to sexual assault Monday.
The BC Prosecution Service said the Crown appealed Justin Sewell’s sentence before a panel of the BC Court of Appeal.
Judge David Simpkin sentenced Sewell to house arrest for two years less a day on three charges, in connection to a 2007 sexual assault in Charlie Lake. Sewell pled guilty to one count of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurism.
Simpkin ruled those sentences be served concurrently and avoided sending Sewell to jail. The prosecution was looking for a 4.5-year sentence, that would have sent Sewell to federal prison.
The judge also allowed the veterinarian to keep going to work at the Rivers Animal Hospital on a daily basis.
Last month, Judge Simpkin also ruled that Sewell would not have to register as a sex offender
When Sewell’s sentence was announced, there was strong reaction online. Many people said the sentence was a light one, that amounted to a ‘slap on the wrist.’
Sewell’s sentencing began in July of 2023. The process was slowed and took almost 2 years to complete because the judge kept allowing evidence to be submitted during sentencing.
The BC Prosecution Service said the panel reserved their decision to a later date and there is no timeline for a decision on today’s appeal.
