The Crown is appealing the sentence of a Fort St. John veterinarian who pled guilty to sexual assault.
Judge David Simpkin sentenced Justin Sewell to house arrest for two years less a day on three charges, in connection to a 2007 sexual assault in Charlie Lake.
Simpkin ruled those sentences 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.
The prosecution was looking for a 4.5-year sentence, that would have sent Sewell to federal prison. At the beginning of April, the BC Prosecution Service told CJDC TV News it was carefully reviewing the court’s decision.
The prosecution now says they have 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.
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.’
Fort St. John RCMP announced the charges against the local Veterinarian in 2022. Sewell pled guilty to one count of sexual assault and two counts of voyeurism in November of the same year.
According to court documents, he allegedly sexually assaulted the victim and secretly observed/recorded nudity or sexual activity in a private place.
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.
As part of his sentence, Sewell must provide a DNA sample. The judge didn’t manage to rule whether Sewell must register as a sex offender. A court date was supposed to be scheduled for a hearing on the matter, but a date has yet to be chosen.