R. v. Hashi
- Citation
- 2026 ONCA 322
- Status
- Judgment
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Court
- Court of Appeal for Ontario
- Decision
- 5 May 2026
- Posture
- Criminal / Appeal From Sentence
- Language
- English
More details
- Court
- Court of Appeal for Ontario
- Decision
- 5 May 2026
- Posture
- Criminal / Appeal From Sentence
- Language
- English
On this page
Professional case brief
Research organized from the available case record
01
Holding and result
The appeal was dismissed because the sentencing judge correctly concluded, based on psychiatric evidence and the appellant's extensive history of non-compliance and violent offending, that there was no reasonable expectation the appellant's risk could be controlled in the community and that an indeterminate sentence was therefore warranted.
Court disposition
Appeal dismissed
Orders
- Appeal dismissed
- Indeterminate sentence upheld
02
Material facts
Parties
His Majesty the King
Respondent Counsel: Andrew CappellAbdiassis Hashi
Appellant Counsel: Iris Liu03
Procedural history
Posture
Criminal / Appeal From Sentence
04
Questions and positions
Legal issues
- 01
Whether the sentencing judge erred in finding there was no reasonable expectation that the appellant's risk could be controlled in the community
- 02
Whether a fixed term sentence followed by a long-term supervision order (LTSO) with conditions (eg. injectable antipsychotic medication) would adequately manage the appellant's risk
- 03
Whether the appellant's mental disorders rendered him treatable such that community supervision could be effective
- 04
Whether the indeterminate sentence was justified given the appellant's history of violent offending and non-compliance with supervision and treatment
Party arguments
- Applicant
- The appellant argued that a fixed term sentence followed by an LTSO with appropriate conditions, including long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication and intensive supervision, could manage his risk and that an indeterminate sentence was not necessary.
- Respondent
- The Crown relied on psychiatric evidence that the appellant posed a high risk of violent reoffending driven primarily by personality disorder traits not amenable to medical treatment, and on the appellant's long history of non-compliance with medication and community supervision to justify an indeterminate sentence.
05
Court’s reasoning
Legal principles
- 01
Criminal Code (Canada), dangerous offender provisions and related jurisprudence
An indeterminate sentence is appropriate where an offender poses a high risk of serious violent reoffending that cannot be adequately controlled in the community.
- 02
Criminal Code (Canada), long-term supervision order provisions and case law
A long-term supervision order is appropriate only where there is a realistic expectation that conditions can control the offender's risk in the community.
- 03
Principles of sentencing and expert evidence in criminal law
Expert psychiatric evidence about treatability and risk is central to assessing whether community-based monitoring and treatment can mitigate future risk.
06
Ratio, limits and disposition
Ratio decidendi
The appeal was dismissed because the sentencing judge correctly concluded, based on psychiatric evidence and the appellant's extensive history of non-compliance and violent offending, that there was no reasonable expectation the appellant's risk could be controlled in the community and that an indeterminate sentence was therefore warranted.
Obiter and limits
- Injectable antipsychotic medication alone would not meaningfully address risk where offending is driven by personality disorder traits
- Achieving the necessary stability, abstinence and intense ongoing supervision for this appellant could only be achieved in a custodial setting given his history of non-cooperation and violence
Court disposition
Appeal dismissed
- Appeal dismissed
- Indeterminate sentence upheld
Source and reliance status
Court of Appeal for Ontario · 5 May 2026
This page organises the available record for research. Confirm quotations, current status, and subsequent treatment against the official source before relying on the case.
Judgment reading view
Judgment text
The complete available source text.
Court of Appeal for Ontario
Judgment· 5 May 2026
R. v. Hashi Collection Decisions of the Court of Appeal Date 2026-05-05 Neutral citation 2026 ONCA 322 Docket numbers COA-25-CR-0287 Judges Miller, Bradley; Paciocco, David M.; Wilson, Darla A. Subject Criminal Decision Content
COURT OF APPEAL FOR ONTARIO CITATION: R. v. Hashi, 2026 ONCA 322 DATE: 20260505 DOCKET: COA-25-CR-0287 Miller, Paciocco and Wilson JJ.A.
BETWEEN His Majesty the King Respondent and Abdiassis Hashi Appellant Iris Liu, for the appellant Andrew Cappell, for the respondent Heard: March 24, 2026 On appeal from the sentence imposed by Justice Gillian E. Roberts of the Superior Court of Justice on August 14, 2023, with reasons reported at 2023 ONSC 3809.
REASONS FOR DECISION [1] The appellant has a lengthy history of violent offending. He attacked the complainant with a knife and threatened to kill her. He was subsequently convicted of the index offences of aggravated assault and uttering a death threat. The Crown sought a dangerous offender designation, which the defence did not contest. At the sentencing hearing, defence counsel argued for a fixed sentence followed by a ten-year long-term supervision order (“LTSO”). The sentencing judge imposed an indeterminate sentence. The appellant appealed the indeterminate sentence and sought to substitute a fixed term with an LTSO. [2] At the hearing of the appeal, we dismissed the appeal with reasons to follow. These are our reasons. [3] The appellant argued that the sentencing judge erred in concluding that there was no reasonable expectation that the appellant’s risk could be controlled in the community, and that a fixed-term sentence with an LTSO would not be adequate. The appellant has been diagnosed with a personality disorder with antisocial traits, schizoaffective disorder, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Among the evidence before the trial judge was a psychiatric report that concluded that the appellant posed a high risk of re-offending violently. The appellant’s central argument on appeal was that an LTSO with appropriate conditions, such as a
requirement that the appellant receive long lasting anti-psychotic medication by injection, could effectively manage the appellant’s risk. [4] The sentencing judge rejected this argument and did not err in so doing. The sentencing judge found that the appellant’s offending was driven by multiple factors, and not primarily by his mental illness. Even if the appellant consented to taking injectable medication – a treatment which he had historically refused – it would not meaningfully address his risk of violent reoffending. In the opinion of the psychiatrist who testified for the Crown, the appellant’s pattern of offending was driven more by his personality disorders, which are not amenable to medical treatment. Furthermore, the appellant has proven unmanageable in the community, has never cooperated with community supervision, and has a long history of offending while subject to probation or judicial release. The sentencing judge noted the psychiatrist’s evidence of the appellant’s limited insight into his disorders and history of violence, his lack of empathy, and the absence of any desire to change. He was characterized as generally uncooperative unless he perceived some short-term gain, had a history of non-compliance with medication, had never taken advantage of attempts from hospital staff to help him, had never complied with community supervision, and could not be relied on to self-report. [5] In addition to medication, the psychiatrist testified, the appellant required a more stable lifestyle, abstinence from substance abuse, and intense and on-going supervision. The sentencing judge made no error in concluding that for the appellant, these conditions could only be achieved in a custodial setting.
DISPOSITION [6] For these reasons, the appeal is dismissed. “B.W. Miller J.A.” “David M. Paciocco J.A.” “D.A. Wilson J.A.”
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