Nova Scotia·NewA Hants County, N.S., man is facing a new trial on sex offences after having his acquittal was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada.Robert Desutter, who was found not guilty in 2023, to be retried on charges of sexual exploitationBlair Rhodes · CBC News · Posted: Dec 05, 2025 2:48 PM EST | Last Updated: 32 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa. (Albert Couillard/CBC)A Hants County, N.S., man is facing a new trial on sex offences after having his acquittal was overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada. Robert Joseph Desutter was initially facing 14 charges, including assault, sexual touching, sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation. At his trial in Nova Scotia provincial court, Desutter was acquitted of all charges except assault. The Crown appealed, but the acquittals were upheld by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. But in a decision Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the trial judge had made errors in her decision and ordered that Desutter be retried on the two counts of sexual exploitation.The five-member Supreme Court panel was split three to two, with the majority supporting the Crown’s appeal.Desutter was arrested in October of 2021 and accused of assaulting three young girls. He went to trial in 2023. The judge in the case refused a Crown request to admit evidence taken from a USB which police had found under a mattress when they searched Desutter’s home in Clarksville, N.S.The Crown had argued the USB would have provided similar-fact evidence to support the allegations against Desutter. Both the trial judge and the Court of Appeal rejected that argument.In its brief oral comments on Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada did not give reasons for its decision to order a new trial.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORBlair Rhodes has been a journalist for more than 40 years, the last 31 with CBC. His primary focus is on stories of crime and public safety. He can be reached at blair.rhodes@cbc.ca
Supreme Court of Canada orders new trial for N.S. man on sex offences
