A Fort St. John veterinarian may soon learn whether he will have to register as a sexual offender.
Fort St. John RCMP announced charges against Justin Sewell in 2022. Sewell pled guilty to one count of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurism in November of the same year.
Judge David Simpkin sentenced Sewell to house arrest for two years less a day, in connection to a 2007 sexual assault in Charlie Lake. The prosecution was looking for a 4.5-year sentence, that would have sent Sewell to federal prison.
Simpkin ruled that Sewell’s sentences all be served concurrently and avoided sending Sewell to jail. The judge also allowed the veterinarian to keep going to work at the Rivers Animal Hospital on a daily basis.
As part of his sentence, Sewell must provide a DNA sample, the judge didn’t manage to rule whether he must register as a sex offender.
The matter is back in court Tuesday in Fort St. John. The judge is expected to render a decision on whether Sewell will have to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, Sewell allegedly sexually assaulted the victim and secretly observed/recorded nudity or sexual activity in a private place.
At the beginning of April, the BC Prosecution Service told CJDC TV News it was carefully reviewing the court’s decision. The prosecution has since filed an appeal of Sewell’s sentence.
On July 14, the appeal hearing will take place before a panel of the BC Court of Appeal. There is a possibility the panel will reserve their decision and issue written reasons at a future date.