Crown appeals short incest sentence, bear-kill dismissal and extortion stay

VICTORIA – The B.C. Criminal Justice Branch has announced it will be appealing three separate high-profile cases where it says the outcomes should have been different.

The Crown is appealing the sentences in a case where a man pleaded guilty to three counts of incest and one count of sexual interference.

The man, whose name can’t be released, was handed five- and two-year sentences to be served concurrently, but the Crown says the man deserves a substantially longer prison term.

The case of Greg Klem of Port Renfrew, B.C., who shot a nuisance black bear and charges were dismissed will be appealed because the Crown says the judge misinterpreted the provisions of the Wildlife Act.

The Crown has also filed an appeal in the case where a man’s charges were thrown out by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in Nanaimo.

Robert Widdifield was charged with extortion, theft and possession of stolen property in what the Crown said was an attempt to get someone to repay a claimed debt.