B.C. man facing extradition to U.S. for alleged sex crimes against stepdaughter
A Vancouver Island man is awaiting possible extradition to the United States on charges of sexual assault against his 13-year-old stepdaughter.
A B.C. Supreme Court ordered the man into custody last week pending a decision by the federal justice minister on whether or not to surrender the accused to authorities south of the border.
The accused, who is identified in court documents as J.L., is sought by U.S. federal authorities on behalf of the state of Utah.
According to the judge's decision published Tuesday, J.L. is accused of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter continuously from June 2012 to June 2014.
The offences are alleged to have occurred in St. George, Utah, where J.L. lived with his stepdaughter and her mother, to whom he was married at the time.
According to court documents, the stepdaughter told her mother about the alleged abuse in June 2014, but the allegations were not reported to police until that November.
J.L. left Utah that same month and U.S. authorities charge that he "fled" to Canada, while J.L. told the court that he was planning to move back to Canada as his marriage had ended.
"He says his return to Canada had nothing to do with the fact that the complainant spoke to the police that same day," B.C. Supreme Court Justice Brian D. MacKenzie said.
J.L. was charged in June 2015, prompting Utah police to issue a warrant for his arrest.
During a 2021 extradition hearing, J.L. testified that he left Canada in May 2015, travelling and working in several countries before returning to Canada in October 2019.
He testified that upon his return he obtained a B.C. driver's licence under the Sooke, B.C., address where the RCMP later found and arrested him on June 16, 2020.
"J.L. emphasizes the fact that he travelled throughout many countries on his Canadian passport between 2015 and 2019 and was never arrested or detained," the judge said.
"He points out he returned to Canada with his valid Canadian passport without incident. It was only after approximately nine months during which time he lived with his parents in Sooke, did he or his family have any contact with a law enforcement agency."
J.L. argued the five-year delay in seeking his extradition to the U.S. is contrary to the principles of fundamental justice under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The judge ruled the delay was not sufficient to render the extradition hearing unfair.
"What the U.S. authorities may or may not have done in trying to locate J.L. and whether their efforts were 'continuous and considerable'… is not a circumstance that in my view renders the extradition process unfair or amounts to a denial of fundamental justice such that this is one of those exceptional cases where the extradition proceeding should be stayed," the judge said.
The judge ordered J.L. into custody to await an extradition decision by Justice Minister David Lametti.
Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, J.L. cannot be extradited to the U.S. until 30 days after the judge's commitment order. He has a right to appeal the order and apply for a judicial interim release from custody.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Blaine Higgs 'furious' over sexual education presentation
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has shared his anger on social media over a presentation in at least four high schools.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
Grayson Murray's parents say the two-time PGA Tour winner died of suicide
Grayson Murray's parents said Sunday their 30-year-old son took his own life, just one day after he withdrew from a PGA Tour event.
Some birds may use 'mental time travel,' study finds
Real quick — what did you have for lunch yesterday? Were you with anyone? Where were you? Can you picture the scene? The ability to remember things that happened to you in the past, especially to go back and recall little incidental details, is a hallmark of what psychologists call episodic memory — and new research indicates that it’s an ability humans may share with birds called Eurasian jays.
Trump confronts repeated boos during raucous Libertarian convention speech
Donald Trump was booed repeatedly while addressing Saturday night’s Libertarian Party National Convention.
Driver, 18, gets $3,000 ticket, 32 demerit points after speeding on Laval boulevard
A young driver received a hefty fine from Laval police after they say he was driving nearly 100 km/h over the posted speed limit.
Indianapolis 500 delayed as strong storm forces fans to evacuate Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Hamas rocket attack from Gaza sets off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in months
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv for the first time in months on Sunday in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel's massive air, sea and ground offensive.
At least 13 dead in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after severe weather roars across region
Powerful storms killed at least 13 people and left a wide trail of destruction Sunday across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.