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Facing criminal charges doesn’t mean facing them alone. Pazuki Law Group offers free, confidential consultations so you can understand exactly what you’re dealing with and what your options are—before making any decisions.
Facing criminal charges doesn’t mean facing them alone. Pazuki Law Group offers free, confidential consultations so you can understand exactly what you’re dealing with and what your options are—before making any decisions.
An assault charge in Ontario is laid quickly, often within hours of a single 911 call and before police have heard your side. No injury is required, and in domestic cases the complainant cannot simply withdraw the charge. If you have been charged, the time to speak with an assault defence lawyer is now, before your first court date and before you give any statement to police.
Pazuki Law Group represents people charged with assault, domestic assault and related offences throughout Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, Bradford, Barrie and communities across York Region and Simcoe County. As a criminal defence law firm, we know these cases often turn on details the police summary leaves out, and the Crown’s case is not always as strong as it first appears.
Section 265 of the Criminal Code defines assault broadly. It covers intentionally applying force to someone without their consent. It also covers attempting or threatening to apply force by an act or gesture, if the other person has reasonable grounds to believe you could carry it out. A push, a grab or a raised fist can all lead to a charge. No injury is required. The name of the charge only tells you where the case starts. What matters is what the Crown can prove, and whether its evidence holds up when it is tested.
We start with the disclosure and the complainant’s statement, then look at what can be tested: the timing, the injuries, the messages, the other witnesses, and what was said before police arrived.
If a resolution serves you better than a trial, we will tell you. If the case should be fought, we prepare it properly. You make the decisions, and you get clear advice about what each one risks.
Police may release you with a court date and conditions, or hold you for a bail hearing. If you are held, you must generally be brought before a justice within 24 hours. Bail conditions in assault cases are usually strict, and a surety may be required.
You have the right to speak to a lawyer without delay. Use it before you give police any statement. Do not contact the complainant if your conditions forbid it, even to apologise or explain. That one message can turn one charge into two.
Charges laid in Newmarket and most of York Region are heard at the Newmarket courthouse at 50 Eagle Street West. Charges laid in Simcoe County are heard in Barrie, Bradford, Orillia, Collingwood or Midland, depending on where the charge was laid.
An assault charge moves quickly, and the steps you take early can shape everything that follows.
Book a free, confidential consultation with Pazuki Law Group to talk through the charge, your release conditions and your options.
If someone has just been arrested and is still in custody, call our 24/7 emergency line: 647-284-2824.
No. Once police lay a charge in Ontario, only the Crown can withdraw it. The Crown may take the complainant's wishes into account, but the decision is not theirs to make.
An assault charge does not require an injury. In domestic cases, police in Ontario are expected to lay a charge when they have reasonable grounds, whatever the complainant wants.
Not if your release conditions say otherwise. Conditions can be changed with the Crown's agreement or through a bail review. Do not go home or make contact until the change is formally made.
Self-defence is a full defence in Canadian law, but it has requirements. The court looks at what you believed, what was actually happening, and whether your response was reasonable. The details, the timing and the injuries on both sides all matter.
While the case is open, an outstanding charge can appear on a criminal record and judicial matters check and on a vulnerable sector check. If the charge is withdrawn, Ontario law generally keeps it off record checks, apart from limited exceptions for vulnerable sector checks. A discharge can be disclosed for one year (absolute) or three years (conditional). A conviction lasts until a record suspension is granted.
A peace bond is a promise to the court to keep the peace and follow certain conditions, usually for up to 12 months. In exchange, the assault charge is withdrawn. It is not a criminal conviction, but breaching it is a criminal offence.
Simpler cases can resolve in a few months. Contested trials take longer, depending on the courthouse and the number of witnesses. The Charter sets presumptive limits on delay, generally 18 months for cases in the Ontario Court of Justice. We can give you a realistic estimate once we see the disclosure.
When police in Ontario attend a domestic call and have reasonable grounds to believe an assault happened, they are expected to lay a charge. That is true even if no one was hurt and the complainant does not want charges laid. Once the charge is laid, the complainant cannot drop it. Only the Crown can withdraw it.
The first problems are usually practical. Release conditions often stop you from contacting your partner and from going home, and sometimes limit contact with your children. Those conditions can be changed, either with the Crown’s agreement or through a bail review in court. Until that happens, follow them exactly. A breach is a new charge, and it makes the original case harder to defend.
Depending on the evidence and your circumstances, an assault charge can end in one of several ways:
The difference between these outcomes matters long after court. A conviction can affect employment, volunteer work with children or vulnerable people, professional licences, immigration status and travel to the United States. Those consequences belong in the conversation from the first meeting, not after the case is over.
Every legal matter is different. Share a few details about your situation, and our team will contact you to discuss your case, your options, and the next steps.
