OttawaA suspended Ottawa criminal defence lawyer has been sentenced to four years in prison for threatening to kill a vulnerable former client who had come forward with allegations that he extorted her for sex, and for criminally harassing and extorting a friend of his to find a gun so he could get rid of his ex-client.Suspended Ottawa lawyer was found guilty in March, and his bail was revoked in JulyKristy Nease · CBC News · Posted: Sep 02, 2025 12:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoSuspended Ottawa lawyer James Bowie enters the Ottawa Courthouse on March 18, where he was found guilty of extortion, uttering death threats and criminal harassment. (CBC)James Bowie, a suspended criminal defence lawyer in Ottawa who threatened to kill a former client and criminally harassed and extorted a friend of his, has received a four-year sentence for his crimes.The judge said in Ontario Court in Ottawa on Tuesday that the appropriate sentencing range is anywhere from two to seven years in prison. The Crown had sought a four-year custodial sentence fo Bowie, while the defence argued for a reformatory sentence to be served in the community.Bowie’s trial revolved around the testimony of two women who detailed a series of abuses at the hands of the lawyer, who is still suspended by the Law Society of Ontario for his failure to co-operate with unrelated and related investigations. In late 2022, a woman named Leanne Aubin told reporters Bowie had offered her his legal services in exchange for sexual favours.In March of this year, Ontario Court Justice Paul Cooper found that in Bowie’s attempts to clear his name, he threatened to kill Aubin, tried to get another woman to obtain a gun for him, and harassed the other woman when she tried to ghost him. The judge said Bowie followed the woman’s movements with tracking devices, called her from multiple numbers, watched her house and continued sending her messages after she stopped replying.While Bowie denied the charges against him, he admitted during his testimony that he twice placed a GPS tracker on the woman’s car and used it to follow her.The woman cannot be identified because of a publication ban, but a similar ban on Aubin’s name was lifted at her request. During a sentencing hearing in July, the Crown acknowledged that Bowie, 43, has no prior criminal record and had obeyed a strict curfew while out on bail, with no further charges or breaches.But Bowie’s offence was serious, the Crown maintained, as it involved the “deliberate and sustained victimization of women.” “I would submit that Mr. Bowie was found guilty of a very dedicated effort to break the law,” said assistant Crown attorney Kerry Watson. “He tried to intervene with a valid complaint process and civil proceedings by threatening and therefore causing fear in his former client.” Bowie walks into the Ottawa Courthouse to attend his sentencing hearing on July 28. (Joseph Tunney/CBC)Bowie’s defence lawyer, Eric Granger, argued a conditional sentence — served in the community and at least partially under house arrest — would be a more appropriate option than prison. He didn’t suggest a specific duration, but conditional sentences are generally a maximum of two years less a day.Bowie’s actions stemmed from a desperate bid for self-preservation, Granger said. The Law Society has made additional allegations against Bowie.Justice Cooper revoked Bowie’s bail after his sentencing hearing in July, saying it would be “very cruel” if Bowie was allowed to remain free.ABOUT THE AUTHORCBC Ottawa senior writer Kristy Nease has covered news in the capital for 16 years, and previously worked at the Ottawa Citizen. She has handled topics including intimate partner violence, climate and health care, and is currently focused on the courts and judicial affairs for all platforms. Get in touch: kristy.nease@cbc.ca, or 613-288-6435.Selected stories.Follow her on Twitter.
James Bowie gets 4 years imprisonment for threatening ex-client, extortion, harassment
