No need to set time limit for sentencing proceedings, Supreme Court of Canada rules

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says a man is entitled to a reduction in his sentence for sexual assault because the post-verdict sentencing phase of the case took too long.

But the top court also says there is no need to set a time limit for determining a sentence because there is no persuasive evidence of a culture of complacency in sentencing proceedings in Canada.

The man, an Iranian citizen living in Ontario on a post-graduation work permit, was convicted in October 2021.

Sentencing proceedings were ongoing in October 2022 when the man applied for a stay of his case on the basis that his Charter right to timely justice had been infringed.