Adept Defence Lawyer for Court Order Breaches

At every point of the proceedings, an accused may be subject to a different court order. The first, and mandatory, court order is one that ensures that an accused attends court as required; such a court order is known as a form of release. An accused can be released from the police station on a Promise to Appear (Form 10) or an undertaking given to an officer under ss. 498–499 of the Criminal Code. In circumstances where an accused is not released from the police station, they will be taken before a justice to decide if a person should be released on bail under s. 515 of the Criminal Code.

In addition to directing a person to appear in court on a specific date, release orders may include other conditions. The main purpose of any release order is to ensure that the person attends court, does not interfere with the administration of justice, and does not commit any further, similar, or any other types of offences while awaiting trial.

If a person is found guilty of a criminal offence, the court can impose a probation order. The main purpose of any probation order is to ensure that the accused is rehabilitated and does not commit further offences in the future. A probation order is limited to 3 years.

Upon conviction, a court can also impose a Conditional Sentence Order for a period of time not exceeding 2 years. A CSO is a custodial sentence that a person is allowed to serve in the community. That means that as long as an accused does not breach the parameters of the order, they DO NOT have to go to jail but rather will be confined to their home with certain exceptions for a period imposed by the judge.

In the event the Crown withdraws the charges, and in some unique circumstances, even where a person is acquitted after a trial, a judge can order that a person enter into a Peace Bond, either under common law or pursuant to s. 810 of the Criminal Code. Peace bonds are most commonly imposed in situations where two people need to stay away from one another to prevent any potential violence or threats thereof.

There are other ancillary orders that can be imposed. Those are very specific to each charge and can be discussed in detail during a consultation.